Shatter Me
by Slytherin99
Summary: *NOTE* Updated 10/25/15. A jealous student slips a potion to her rival, but it has some unforeseen side effects, which only add to the problems of a certain Potions Master. Things are finally starting to come together, with plenty of material. My apologies for the chaos.
1. Chapter 1

"You fell in love with a storm. Did you really think you would get out unscathed?" ~ Nikita Gill

ooOoo

January 5, 1995~

It all started quite innocently enough, with a glass of cold pumpkin juice.

At the Ravenclaw table, only one seat was empty, right next to Eugenia Hargrove. The fourth-year student looked nervous, and with good reason. If she were to be caught doing what she intended to do, she would almost certainly get detention, if not expelled. She drew her wand, ignoring the chatter of the other students who sat around her.

Whispering softly under her breath, she casually whirled her wand over her head. She wasn't worried about someone spotting her wand-waving, as students practiced wand motion more or less constantly. So long as the charm wasn't detected as something out of the ordinary—and it certainly wasn't an unusual spell for a fourth-year student to be practicing—it would be unlikely to attract much attention. Looking around herself, she swallowed uneasily, and then waved her hand in front of Maria Glossop, the student sitting next to her. Her fellow student didn't even blink, carrying on her conversation with Jenny Schumacher concerning their Charms class assignment as if Eugenia wasn't even there.

_It worked! _The now _disillusioned _Eugenia thought, now fairly glowing with excitement. _Only a few more minutes until she gets here, as she's always late to dinner after Quiddich practice. I'd better hurry._

Being detected while _disillusioned_ was the least of her worries. She knew that she had only a few minutes before a Professor might become suspicious, or her intended victim might arrive early by chance. Either event would mean disaster for her plan.

Quickly, she took a vial from the pocket of her robes. After another quick glance around herself to make sure the charm was still working, she emptied the vial into the glass of pumpkin juice that was set out at the empty seat. Picking up a spoon, she quickly stirred the contents in, and then she dried off the spoon and replaced it with the other silverware at the empty seat.

"_Finite incantaeum._" She whispered, glancing nervously around herself as she ended the charm. No one seemed to pay her any mind.

"Maria," She said, turning to the girl next to her, just as the Ravenclaw Quiddich team members began to filter into the Great Hall, "Do you want my sweet roll? I don't really like them that much."

Maria nodded, taking the sweet roll from her with a grateful smile.

"Do you need any help with the Transfiguration essay assignment?" She asked, placing the sweet roll on her bread plate.

"Oh, no, I've got that one done already." Eugenia smiled. "It was really not that difficult. You just pull your elbow back slightly just before you do the downward swish, and it all falls into place after that."

"Really? I didn't think of trying that." Maria frowned. "I really had to work at it to get it to even halfway work."

"It's easy; I'll show you the wand motion after dinner."

A petite blond, her long hair still damp from a hurried shower, sat down in the empty seat. She picked up the pumpkin juice and drained the glass, letting out a long sigh of satisfaction as she sat down in the empty chair. She smiled at Eugenia and the other Ravenclaw students.

"Oh, that is so good!" Exclaimed sixth-year student Marie Delacour, reaching over for the pitcher of pumpkin juice to refill her glass. "Merlin, I am so very thirsty!"

"Rough practice, Marie?" Eugenia asked innocently, intently watching her housemate.

Taking another drink, Marie nodded, picking up her napkin to dab at her mouth.

"Oui, 'genia!" She replied, taking out her wand to apply drying and styling charms to her hair. "Coach Flitwick, he was absolutely brutal this afternoon! Even though there are no games, because of the Triwizard Tournament, we still had to run, up and down the stairs of the bleachers, like a bunch of Muggles! I felt like my legs would fall off, and I haven't even gotten a chance to see my cousin Fleur all week! It's awful!"

Eugenia, nodding her head agreeably as if she cared, watched her most hated rival with eager anticipation as continued to chatter on about her busy day, and how rude Professor Snape was lately to everyone, and her doubts that the Ravenclaw's new seeker would be ready by the next Quiddich match.

_The potion should take effect any second now_, Eugenia thought, smiling pleasantly. _You'll get what's coming to you, bitch._

ooOoo

January 9, 1995, morning~

"How long have you felt poorly, dear?"

"Um…since the seventh, I think." Marie mumbled around the thermometer in her mouth as she watched Poppy move a wand over her body. "That's when I really started feeling bad. I'm sure that I had fever this morning when I woke up, that's why I came to see you."

The Medi-witch removed the thermometer and squinted at the reading, frowning at it.

"Well, you certainly don't seem to have a fever, dear." She said, _scourgifying_ the thermometer and putting it away. Reaching up with both hands, she gently palpated the lymph nodes under Marie's jaw, checking for any swelling or tenderness that could indicate a virus or bacterial infection.

"But, I feel cold all the time…and I have chills, too." The girl protested. "I just ache constantly, and I…"

Her voice trailed off, with a deep blush spreading across her face.

"What is it, dear?" Poppy asked gently. "You can tell me, I won't tell a soul."

"I don't know how to explain it, Madame Pomphrey." Marie shrugged, looking away to worry at a nearly invisible speck of lint on her robes. "I…I just have the strangest dreams lately."

"Can you tell me anything about them?"

"No…they make no sense at all. I'm always wandering about Hogwarts in them, in my nightgown, at night. No particular place, but I remember being in the dungeons near the Potions classroom, the Astronomy tower, the library. I remember that I'm usually afraid of being caught. I…I always wake up all sweaty, and the covers are all tangled around me, as if I'd been running."

"That's certainly odd." Poppy said, writing some notes in a folder. "In your dream, is something chasing you, perhaps? Do you remember anything about it, what it might be?"

"No, never. It's like I'm trying to find something, to catch something."

"Do you know what it is?"

"No, no idea." Marie frowned, pursing her lips tightly. "But it's important to me, I remember that. I desperately need it. I just can't remember for the life of me what it might be."

ooOoo

January 10, 1995, evening~

As noisy as the evening meal often could be in the Great Hall, you could hear a pin drop this particular evening. The hush was shattered by a metallic clang as a pitcher hit the floor, flung there by a furious Eugenia Hargrove. Instantly, the students erupted into a babble of hushed whispers regarding what the fourth-year Ravenclaw had just done as she turned and walked rapidly toward the door to the hallway. Before she reached the doorway, however, the large doors closed with a hollow thunk. Eugenia stamped her foot, glaring at them in frustration.

"Miss Hargrove!" Professor McGonagall snapped as she rapidly approached the Ravenclaw table, with Professor Flitwick running along behind her on his short legs. "What on earth has gotten into you, young lady?!"

Quickly transfiguring a napkin into a heavy terrycloth bathrobe, Minerva quickly put it around Marie's shoulders and cast a warming charm on it, as the student stood there next to the table. She was shivering violently, having just had the pitcher of ice-cold pumpkin juice poured over her head, soaking her robes and school uniform clear through. Her hair was darker now, no longer light honey blonde, and stuck to her face in strands. She looked every bit like a half-drowned cat.

"Miss Hargrove, come with me." Professor Flitwick said with a frown. "You will be confined to your room for the weekend for this, as well as have detention with me."

Abruptly, Marie doubled over with a shriek of pain, forcing Professor Flitwick to catch her instead as the student collapsed in a heap. Taking advantage of the distraction, Eugenia slipped away into the crowd of students, smirking as she used _disillusionment_ to vanish into thin air.

"Hagrid!" Madame Pomphrey called, lifting her skirts and running as fast as she could to where Marie was now doubled up in agony on the floor. The half-giant got up, easily catching up to her, closely followed by Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape.

Eugenia looked around herself, and then quietly slipped toward the crowd of students waiting to leave near the doors, ending the charm that concealed her. Everyone was gawking at her screaming housemate, so she nearly made it to the door before a shadowy figure materialized in front of her with a _crack _and a swirl of black smoke.

"Tut-tut, Miss Hargrove." Snape said silkily, ropes spouting from the end of his wand that neatly bound her feet and hands. "It would be…rather rude to leave before we get to the bottom of this little spat. Don't you agree?"

ooOoo

Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick, and Hagrid looked up as Professor Snape came out of the hospital room, followed by Poppy. Snape put his hands in his pockets of his robes and leaned against the wall. Eugenia Hargrove sat the corner, unable to speak due to Snape having added _langlock_ to keep her quiet after binding her to a chair. The young Ravenclaw silently glared up at him as he stolidly ignored her, a somewhat bored expression on his face.

As the door closed behind her, Poppy surveyed the people in the waiting room uneasily.

"How is she, Poppy?" Asked Professor Flitwick, getting out of his seat next to Dumbledore and walking over to her.

"Well, she's resting now." The Medi-witch said, moving to a chair and sitting down. "I had to give her enough Dreamless Sleep to knock out a hippogriff. This…I've never seen anything like this before."

With a sigh, she removed the bright green earmuffs she was wearing and handed them to Hagrid.

"When you give these back to Pomona, tell her I said they worked wonderfully. It'll be a thousand wonders if that girl has any voice left at all, the way she was screeching."

Hagrid nodded, stuffing the earmuffs in one of the many pockets of his huge overcoat.

"So," Poppy said, looking over at Professor Flitwick, "Filius, did you manage to find out what all of this was about?"

"Just teenage jealousy, it seems." Flitwick sighed. "You know, the usual petty dispute between young girls. Miss Hargrove thought Miss Delacour was flirting with her boyfriend too much, and dumped the pumpkin juice on her. Though that would not explain the screaming fit she suffered afterwards, of course."

Poppy shook her head with a disgusted sigh.

"Poppy," Dumbledore said, leaning toward her, "more importantly, have you been able to determine what is ailing Miss Delacour?"

"No, Albus." The Medi-witch said, shaking her head again. "No fever, no tenderness when I examined her, nor when I examined her a few days ago. I do hope it's not a curse of some kind. Professor Snape examined her for any signs of Dark Magic, but found nothing. Most perplexing."

"How odd." Flitwick said, frowning. "You're sure she hasn't be hexed?"

"Quite sure, Filius." Snape said dryly. "If she was, it wore off soon after I began to examine her. I found no evidence of a hex or curse. I believe she just had some sort of hysteric fit, a reaction to the assault by Miss Hargrove."

"I'm going to keep her here in the Hospital Wing," Poppy said, "just to observe her for a while. Until we know what it is, at least."

"Let us know if you find out anything, Poppy." Dumbledore said quietly. "Severus? I suggest that while Miss Hargrove is absent from her room, that you and I go see what might be there. Perhaps we will not need your skills as a legilimens."

"Agreed, Headmaster." Snape nodded, following Dumbledore from the room.

No one noticed the expression on Eugenia's face shift from sullen anger to something more resembling panic.

ooOoo

The next morning, Marie woke up, surprising Poppy by getting out of bed and wandering up to the front desk, where the Medi-witch was marking her charts. She immediately led Marie to the examination room, where she spent nearly a half hour running her wand over her and muttering diagnostic spells.

"But I'm fine, Poppy." Marie protested. "Really, I feel wonderful. I don't even feel feverish or anything. I feel great."

"No cramping, no pain?" The Medi-witch asked, getting a thermometer. "Are you sure? When you collapsed in the Great Hall, you were screaming like a banshee. I had to borrow some of Professor Sprout's earmuffs that she uses when pruning mandrakes."

"I was?" Marie asked, blushing. "I-I don't remember anything of that. Really, I don't."

"Trust me, young lady." Poppy said, sticking the thermometer in her mouth under her tongue, "You were. My ears are still ringing from it. Now, take this note, go to your room, and get your robes and books. You have just enough time to make it to your last class before lunch."

After another thirty minutes or so of poking, prodding, and wand-waving with no results, Poppy gave in and allowed her to dress and leave the Hospital Wing. Marie felt wonderful, skipping down the hallway exuberantly as she made her way toward Ravenclaw Tower. With not a cloud in the sky today, the sun was shining brightly, a sight that filled her heart with joy; it meant that Professor Flitwick might relent and allow the Ravenclaw team to work out on their brooms instead.

_Oh, how I love to fly_, she thought happily, speeding up her pace until her feet were fairly flying across the stone floor, her long blonde braids trailing out behind her.

Rounding a corner, she ran smack into someone, falling backwards and landing hard on her bottom, blushing as her skirt rode up on her thighs in a most embarrassing manner. Marie cried out in pain, scrambling to her feet.

"Connard!" She exclaimed irritably, yanking her skirt back down into place and rubbing her fanny. "Watch where you're going, you crétin!"

"But of course." Severus Snape hissed softly, looming over her in his black robes. With a squeak of terror, Marie backed away from him until she hit the wall behind her, trembling with fear. The tall Potions Professor glided toward her, folding his arms dramatically across his chest as he glared down at the cringing Ravenclaw student.

"Ten points from Ravenclaw for running in the halls, Miss Delacour." He sneered, cocking his head slightly. "As this is not the Quiddich field, nor your personal playground. Also, another ten points will be taken for…foul language. Comprenez-vous? Now, walk to your dormitory, or it will be…detention."

She furiously glared up at him for a moment, her fear of him forgotten, and then scrambled to her feet. For a moment, Marie glared up at him, as if she could somehow transmit her hatred of him through her blue eyes, her fingers straying toward the pocket that her wand was in.

"Such…a…temper you have." Snape purred softly, raising one eyebrow mockingly as he leaned closer to her, almost as if he were goading her to act. "Surely you are not planning to add…assault on a professor to today's misadventures, are you? Perhaps…you would like to have detention added, as well points taken."

Her blue eyes locked with his for a long moment, her lower lip trembling slightly.

_Such dark eyes_, she thought, and then blinked, shuddering slightly.

_What just happened to me?_ Marie wondered, feeling somewhat woozy. Carefully, she took her hand away from her wand, breaking eye contact with Professor Snape.

"No?" He smirked, raising one eyebrow. "Then, go to your dormitory, and walk."

_Pick your battles, Marie_, she mused, forcing herself to nod submissively. _As much as you despise him, this is not the time, and you don't need any more trouble._

Biting her lip hard enough that she tasted blood, she turned and walked away from him, struggling to keep her temper in check. It took all of her self-control not to stamp her feet as she made her way down the corridor, she was so angry. As it was, she was fairly trembling with rage, her hands clenched tightly and her back rigid.

_I utterly despise that awful man_, Marie fumed as she made her way to Ravenclaw tower. _He is so unfair, so…hateful, so…oooh!_

_I hate him._

_I should have hexed him, detention or no detention. It would be worth it just to get a shot in, to teach him a lesson. _

She was still so angry that she botched the answer to the riddle at the statue, and was forced to wait until someone from her house returned to let her in.

ooOoo

January 25, 1995, nearly dawn~

She sighed drowsily, stirring in that twilight between sound sleep and waking up, the first rays of dawn causing her to squeeze her eyes shut more tightly. It was warm in her bed, warmer than usual, and she felt so comfortable, she wanted to sleep some more. With a drowsy yawn, she hugged her pillow a bit tighter.

_So warm and comfy_, she thought, smiling slightly. _The house elves are definitely doing a better job of keeping my room warm enough. I'll have to remember to thank them._

_Five more minutes,_ she sighed to herself, not willing to leave her warm bed just yet. _Just five more minutes, and then I'll get up._

Her pillow felt rather odd, very firm and warm, not at all like the feather pillows she usually slept with. With an effort, she opened one eye, frowning groggily. Something didn't seem right here.

She blinked a few times, trying to clear up her vision; she was certain that she was seeing things. Her eyes widened in surprise as she slowly realized that she was not alone in the bed, nor was it her bed, or even her bedroom. In fact, absolutely nothing in the room looked familiar to her at all. A heavy, ornately carved oak four-poster canopy bed, simple in design, but obviously very old. Luxurious dark green flannel sheets, a heavy quilt atop them, with a matching dark green canopy that was trimmed with gold braid overhead. A heavy dresser and bedside table, matched to the bed.

_Pillows don't have…abdominal muscles_, she thought uneasily, a sick feeling coming over her. _I'm in someone's bed…oh, Merlin, this is bad…_

_Where am I?_

Just as she feared, it was not her pillow that she was hugging to her with her arm, but a grown man, his back to her. Scarcely daring to breathe, she carefully raised herself up in the bed to peer at his face, half hidden as it was by long black hair-

_Professor Snape_.

He was sleeping deeply, his mouth slack, his face for once relaxed and peaceful. She watched him for several minutes, fascinated by this expression on the face of the fearsome Potions professor who terrorized her and her fellow students on a regular basis. It took all the self-control she possessed not to snatch her hand away, to carefully and slowly ease it away from his abdomen. With a soft sigh, he rolled over on his back, toward her, frowning slightly as he grasped the quilt and pulled it back up to his chin. After a few more minutes, he drifted back into deeper sleep, snoring lightly.

She was close enough to his face that she could feel his breath on her skin, count every tiny bit of stubble on his chin and cheeks. Marie sat as still as she could, scarcely daring to even breathe, lest she wake him. Her blood seemed to have turned to ice in her veins, freezing her in place, half sitting up on the bed in terror. The urge to flee blindly in terror was overwhelming, only checked by her certainty that she would easily be caught if she did.

_Snape. Oh, Merlin…I'm in Snape's quarters, in his bed with him…_

_How did I happen to get here?_

_I have to get out of here_, she thought, struggling to control her rising panic as she looked around the room for the door. _I have to get out of here right now, before he wakes up and gives me detention for the rest of the year, or worse!_

She carefully eased away from him, a few inches at a time, until she was able to slide out of the bed to the floor. Thankfully, his face was turned away from the door, which made it just a bit easier to slip out of the bedroom, her bare feet making no sound on the cold stone floor. After a few wrong turns, she found herself in the Potions classroom, slowly opening the door to cautiously peek out into the hallway. It was quiet and empty, not even a ghost wandering about the dungeons at this wee hour.

_Looks like there were no wards on the door, at least_, she thought, breathing a sigh of relief. _Thank Merlin for that small bit of luck. _

Easing the door shut gently, she cautiously crept down the hallway, her nerves on a raw edge.

_Nearly sunup_, she thought, biting her lip nervously. _I've got to get back to the tower, and quickly._

Her heart caught in her throat as she heard footsteps that seemed all too familiar, coming slowly down the hall. Her worst fears were confirmed when she heard him cough, a dry raspy hacking that made her skin crawl.

_Merde! _She thought, trembling in fear. _It's Filch!_

She quickly moved out of the corridor into an alcove and hid behind a statue of Cygnus Black II, closing her eyes and holding her breath. Biting her lip, she listened helplessly as the old caretaker came closer to her hiding spot. Just as he drew even with her, his old cat gave a hissing yowl, glaring in Marie's general direction. Only a few feet separated her and the cat, its yellow eyes staring hatefully at her as it growled at her.

_Oh, no_, she groaned inwardly. _I'm going to be caught for sure now!_

"What rotten luck, Mrs. Norris." Filch grumbled as he shuffled by, shifting her to the other shoulder and stroking her fur gently. "I was sure I'd catch a student out of bed tonight. Could do with some entertainment, couldn't we, my love?"

Trembling with fear, Marie remained completely still in her hiding place. The hateful cat still glared malevolently at her over Filch's shoulder, but the old caretaker kept a steady pace as he meandered down the hallway. Grumbling the whole time, he steadfastly ignored the cat hissing at Marie again and again.

_That's odd,_ she thought uneasily. _I was sure I would get caught for sure once that damn cat saw me. I can't believe he didn't notice._

_Why didn't he see me?_

She waited, holding her breath until Filch rounded the corner, and then made her move, praying that she wouldn't run into anyone else. Her bare feet barely skimming the cold stone floor, she ran through the dungeons like a doe pursued by hounds, desperately trying to make it to Ravenclaw tower before the other students woke up.

ooOoo

With great effort, Severus Snape opened his eyes, squinting against the sunlight that filtered into his bedroom the single window looking out into the lake. He rubbed his eyes, struggling to wakefulness, wishing that is was Sunday and he could perhaps sleep in a bit.

_How utterly disappointing, _he mused grimly, letting out a long sigh of disgust. _I'm still alive_.

_How much longer can I keep this game up?_

A wave of pain crashed through his head, causing him to groan in agony as he cradled his aching head in his hands. He licked his lips to moisten them, his mouth dry as cotton lint and tasting about the same.

_Something is coming, I can feel it_, he thought gloomily. _ All too soon, these idyllic, peaceful days will come to an end. Every time I go to Hogsmeade, Knockturn Alley especially, I can feel it in my bones. The Death Eaters, cowed still they might be, but they are more active lately. _

_Something is in the air._

_But what?_

_I hate this bloody tournament. I hate dealing with these boring Ministry lackeys, with that paranoid lunatic Moody, with that pompous windbag Karkaroff. It's bad enough having to suffer through this circus, never mind the fact that someone is trying their hardest to get Harry Potter killed. I wish this stupid contest was over with so I might get some rest._

_But every time I turn around, something has been tampered with, endangering his life. Beginning with his name coming out of that thrice-cursed cup, this has been a string of 'accidents' that are deliberately orchestrated to separate 'the boy who lived' from his life. I'm forced to work miracles, it would seem, to keep __him__ safe._

_Someone who is very crafty, very clever, and leaves no clues behind is doing this._

_But who is it?_

_Who is manipulating the tournament? I can name a half-dozen potential suspects, but most of them are disqualified by one reason or another, usually lack of access or motive. _

_Maddening._

_Who stole gillyweed from my private stores? Potter? Granger? Surely not Weasley?_

The last thought brought a bitter smile to his lips, but only for a moment as his head began to pound once again. He closed his eyes and grimaced, trying to mentally blunt the pain of his hangover.

_Probably a good idea __not__ to drink firewhiskey on nights that I've had a dose of Dreamless Sleep_, he thought as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawning. _The effects of the combination are somewhat less than desirable._

_I desperately need a hangover potion_; he frowned, rubbing his hand over his face irritably. Something was tickling his nose, despite his best efforts to brush it off.

_Spider webs, or that cursed Peeves playing yet another prank_, he sighed irritably, swiping again at it with his hand, feeing it tangle around his fingers. He squinted at it blearily, yawning, as he tried to figure out which it was. As his eyes slowly focused on it in the dim light, he sat bolt upright in the bed with a gasp of shock.

Tangled around his fingers was a single long blonde hair.

It was the last straw.

With a muttered curse, he threw the covers back and got out of bed. _Accioing_ his clothing, he dressed quickly. When he stormed out into the hall, fairly seething with rage, the first person he ran into was just who he was looking for: Filch.

"Filch!" Snape hissed. "There has been a student out of bed, roaming the castle…down here in the dungeons near my quarters. Where have you been?"

Filch gaped at the Potions Professor, momentarily taken aback.

"I…I've been making regular rounds, Professor." He stammered, backing away as he cradled Mrs. Norris protectively. "I haven't seen a student all night long, Sir. Not a one, Sir."

"Ob…vi…ous…ly." Severus growled, grinding each syllable of the word between his teeth in impotent fury. With a contemptuous sneer, he turned and walked briskly away, his black robes billowing out behind him as he continued to grumble. Filch watched him go until he vanished around a corner, and then blew out a sigh of relief.

"All's well now, Mrs. Norris." Filch cackled, stroking her fur. "Going to be plenty of detentions today, I wager. It's going to be a great day, by Merlin."

ooOoo

February 11, 1995~

Potions classes had been awful lately for her. Marie glanced nervously at the door near the front of the classroom, on the right, and tried to put out of her mind where it led to. She hadn't been to his bed recently that she knew of. One night she'd even bound her own feet and hands with a charm she'd found, one that would expire at dawn. When she woke up, she was standing at the top of the spiral staircase of Ravenclaw tower, one hand on the door knocker. She was glad that she hadn't botched the riddle that morning, as her fellow students were starting to stir, and thankfully no one was in the common room as she ran for her chamber.

Just thinking about where she might have been that night made her feel nauseous.

This morning, she'd been making her bed when she found a stray hair on her pillow. Half the length of hers, but jet black. She'd promptly _vanished_ it before any of the other three girls that she shared a common bedroom with could see it.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that half a piece of buttered toast and a cup of tea were not adequate to last until lunch. Pressing her hand to her tummy, she sighed, hoping that she would be able to last until lunchtime. Picking up her potions textbook, she began to pack her book bag to head back to the dormitory.

Her thoughts were interrupted when 4th year Luna Lovegood walked up to her.

"Are you sure you feel alright?" The younger witch asked. "You're looking rather pale today."

"I'm fine, Luna." Marie sighed as she finished putting her potions book and kit in her bag. "I…it's just a cold or something. Nothing to worry about, really."

The younger Ravenclaw put her hand up to Marie's forehead, her touch cool and gentle on the older girl's brow. Marie pulled her head away, annoyed.

"Stop it." She sighed irritably. "I just need to go see Madame Pomphrey and get some Pepper-Up Potion, that's all."

"I'm just worried about you, Marie." Luna said solemnly. "You seem so tired lately, and you've had this fever…or whatever it is…for the last three weeks. I think maybe you should…"

"…leave my classroom?" Professor Snape sneered, looming over them. "What a grand idea. Seeing as you two have been loitering around for a good fifteen minutes after class was over, it is probably best that you be on your way."

Abruptly, Marie spun to face him, her blue eyes flashing with anger.

"How dare you!" She snapped furiously. "We are doing no harm, Professor Snape! You don't need to be so rude! Why are you always so hateful? Are you so miserable that you have to take it out on other people, you can't bear seeing them be happy?"

Shocked, Snape actually backed up a few steps in the face of the wrath of the petite blond student, unable to speak. When he backed into a desk and could retreat no further, Marie began to jab her finger into his chest to add emphasis as she continued to scorch his ears with rapid-fire English interspersed with French.

"Class is over, in case you didn't notice, you miserable connard!" She growled, jabbing him over and over with a slender finger. "You didn't even give us much of a chance to leave!"

"Miss Delacour, I…" Snape began, attempting to assert some sort of control.

"Ta gueule!" She shrieked angrily, her nose nearly touching his, blue sparks of wild magic dancing around her hair. "Ta gueule, fils de pute! Imbecile! J'ai eu assez de cela! Va te faire foutre, trouduc!"

Halting to catch her breath, Marie blinked, her chest heaving as she felt her feet make contact with the floor. Her anger seemed to dissipate like smoke as she gradually became aware of her surroundings.

_I levitated just then? Wandlessly?!_ She thought, trembling as she glanced around her.

Luna was staring at her in wide-eyed horror, her mouth open, as if Marie had suddenly grown another head. Snape had turned much paler than usual, with a shocked expression on his face as he leaned against the desk. The silence in the empty potions classroom seemed deafening.

_Oh, no…_Marie thought uneasily, a sense of impending doom welling up inside her as she watched Professor Snape put his hands on the desk and push himself up, his expression now turning grim.

_He understands French…_

Slowly, Snape's color returned, as his face reddened a bit, his lips compressing into a thin line. He drew himself up to his full height, towering over the two hapless Ravenclaws as he glowered at them with eyes that showed pure fury.

"Miss…Delacour." He hissed, his black eyes glittering with anger. "While I am strongly tempted…to wash your filthy mouth out with soap, I believe that five days' worth of detention will do, along with fifty points taken from your house for your disrespectful behavior toward staff. You will report to me tomorrow evening, after supper. Perhaps scrubbing some cauldrons by hand, the Muggle way, will teach you to mind…your…tongue."

ooOoo

After gathering their books, the two Ravenclaws made their way through the dungeons toward their dormitory, neither uttering a word until they reached the Ravenclaw common room. Thankfully, there was no one there, most all of their housemates already having left for supper in the Great Hall. Marie dropped her book bag carelessly on the floor of her room and collapsed face down on her bed with a strangled groan, covering her head up with her pillow.

_I want to crawl in a hole and just die. Fifty points_, she sighed miserably. _I cost my house fifty points, and now I have to spend five evenings scrubbing cauldrons, and probably worse, for the professor I despise the most. Can my life get any worse than this?_

Hearing a soft footstep approaching, she rolled over and sat up to see Luna standing in her doorway. The younger student eyed her soberly.

"Luna, I'm sorry." Marie said contritely, tears welling up in her eyes. "I shouldn't have…"

The serious expression on Luna's face shifted to a broad grin, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth as she shook her head.

"No! Don't even say it!" Luna smiled, holding up one hand. "Marie, you were awesome!"

"I cursed out a Professor!" Marie blurted out, surprised by the younger witch's praise. "I cost our house points in the cup! And now I have to spend five evenings, including part of a weekend, doing detention with him!"

A dreadful thought struck her at that moment, her blue eyes widening in horror.

"Oh, Merlin…what if he writes to my parents?" She wailed, holding her head with both hands as if to keep the thought away. "Oh, gods…I am so screwed now. Papa will be furious with me!"

Luna laughed, coming over to sit down next to Marie, putting a comforting hand on her housemate's shoulder.

"You're a rock star, Marie!" She said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "You stood up to Snape, the most feared professor here, and backed him down! Well…maybe not so much backed him down, maybe, but you certainly told him off! Wait until the other students hear about this!"

ooOoo

As Luna predicted, Marie was indeed quite the celebrity at the supper table that night. Surrounded by a crowd of students from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, as well as her fellow Ravenclaws, she was forced to tell and re-tell what had transpired between her and Snape until she was nearly hoarse from telling the tale. Luna sat beside her, adding details if Marie missed any, and vouching for the truthfulness of her story. Marie avoided looking toward the Slytherin table.

After a while, she began to feel a cold pressure, a sensation of unease, which she couldn't understand nor shrug off. Feeling rather uncomfortable, Marie glanced over at the staff table.

Snape was intently staring at her, his black eyes unreadable. As a chill went down her spine, she swallowed nervously, forcing herself to smile cheerfully.

_I'm sorry, Professor_, she thought, wishing she could apologize, that she could take back what she'd said to him. _I'm so sorry that I lost my temper, Professor Snape._

For a moment, he blinked, then looked away, appearing somewhat confused. Swiftly recovering his composure, he now glared at her more fiercely than ever. As she watched, Snape crumpled up his cloth napkin, dropping it on the plate of untouched food before him, then rose and stalked out of the Great Hall. He pointedly did not look in her direction as he passed the Ravenclaw table, even though the conversation hushed when he came near.

Once he had left the room, the discussion at the table resumed, more boisterous than before. However, now Marie was not participating, having suddenly lost her appetite as she stared after Professor Snape.

Now she just felt guilty, her cheeks burning with shame.

ooOoo

The next evening after supper, she reluctantly made her way to the dungeons. Her mind was racing. Should she apologize to Snape? Or would that just make matters worse?

"Merlin, what a mess." She sighed softly to herself, continuing to trudge down the hall. "Everything I do just seems to make things worse."

Finally, she stood before the door to the Potions classroom. Screwing up her courage, she knocked on the door.

"Enter." Snape's voice said from within.

Marie opened the door and walked into the classroom, biting her lip as she struggled to keep herself calm. Snape was standing behind his desk, his arms crossed across his chest. Silently he watched as she approached, waiting until she stopped facing him across the oak surface. She shifted nervously from one foot to the other, biting her lip as she waited for him to speak.

"I expect you have something to say." He said softly.

"Yes, I wanted to …"

"Save your breath." Snape said, a cold edge to his voice. "No apology is required, necessary, or believable. I know full well how many of the students feel about me. What makes you think I care one whit about their opinion of me?"

"Sir, I…"

"Silence." He said sharply, turning away from her toward the blackboard. With a wave of his hand, a box of chalk floated over to the desk, landing with a soft thump in front of Marie.

"For the first evening of your detention, Miss Delacour," Snape said, a malevolent gleam in his eye, "You will write lines for me on this blackboard."

With a sigh of resignation, Marie picked up a piece of chalk and went to the board.

"What do you wish me to write, Sir?" She asked, halfway dreading the answer.

Snape sat down behind his desk, picking up his quill and smoothing the feather slowly between slender fingers. A bitter smile slowly came to his face.

"Everything that you said yesterday to me." He said in a low, silky voice. "You will write it, word for word, in French, English, and Latin. You will stop…"

He turned to the box of chalk, took out his wand, and waved it. The box tripled in size, as did the chalkboard.

"…you will stop when you run out of chalk." He smirked. "Now, begin."

With a half-strangled groan, Marie turned to the board and began to write.

ooOoo

"Professor Snape?"

He glanced up, halfway startled, as he'd been engrossed in his book. Marie was standing in front of his desk, her robes, face, and hands white with chalk dust.

"Yes, Miss Delacour?" He sighed irritably, marking his place and setting his book down.

"I'm finished, sir." She said wearily, stifling a yawn. "The box is empty."

He picked it up, squinting into it. Nothing but chalk dust remained.

"So it is." He said sourly. "Well, that completes your detention this evening. You will report to me for your next task tomorrow evening."

"Yes, Sir. May I say something, Professor Snape?"

"No, you may not. Clean yourself up and leave." He snapped, ready to have her gone.

"Please, Sir?" She asked, clasping her hands in front of herself nervously.

"I am not going to waive the next four evenings of detention, Miss Delacour."

"I wasn't going to ask you to do that, Professor." Marie said, swallowing nervously. "I wanted to ask you to return the house points, Sir."

"And why should I do that, Miss Delacour?"

"Because the offense was mine, not that of my house."

"All members of a house are expected to police their fellow house members. I will not return the points."

"Yes, Sir." Marie sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Is there something else you wanted?" Snape asked, handing her a hall pass allowing her to return to her dormitory.

She started to speak, and then thought better of it.

"No, Sir." Marie said, turning toward the door. "Good night, Sir."

"Good night, Miss Delacour."

Once the heavy oak door of the classroom closed behind her, Snape rose from his desk. Going to the door, he took out his wand and placed the usual wards on the door, part of his multi-layered defenses that allowed him to have some sleep at night.

_Time for some more reading, and perhaps some firewhiskey_, he mused, turning back to the classroom. As he walked toward his quarters, he made a mental note to ask his house elf to clean the blackboard and return it to its normal size. He was halfway to the door to his quarters when he glanced at the board, and something made him stop, frowning.

For a long time, he examined the board, moving back and forth to vary the distance to make sure he wasn't just seeing things.

_The spaces between the words_, he finally realized, stunned by what he was seeing. _Steganography…I've never seen it like this._

At the correct distance, one could clearly read, over and over:

_I'm sorry. _

_I'm sorry. _

_I'm sorry._

For a moment, he just stood there, staring at the board. Pulling his wand out, he _vanished_ it, his hand fairly trembling with anger.

_So, she thinks she is being clever?_ He fumed, putting away his wand after reducing the blackboard to its normal size.

_We will address this tomorrow evening. I won't allow a student to make a fool of me._

ooOoo

The next day, in Potions class, Marie couldn't help but nervously glance at the board. When she took her eyes away from it, she realized that Snape was watching her, his eyes sharp and unfriendly. She swallowed nervously and bent over her cauldron, mincing some valerian root into precise quarter inch cubes with her silver knife.

They were making blood-replenishment potion. It wasn't the first time, but Snape had set a timer, and their assignment was to brew a useful potion within the time limit.

She risked another glance at the board, only to look right into the eyes of Snape. He had somehow moved from the front of the room to stand right by her table without her even realizing it.

"Looking for…something, Miss Delacour?" He said softly, just a hint of malice in his eyes.

"Um…no, Sir." She replied, her voice barely audible. "I just was—OUCH!"

Her knife had sliced her finger nearly to the bone, and blood was dribbling all over the table. Dropping the knife, she grabbed a scrap of parchment and pressed it to the wound, the blood rapidly staining it as she sucked in her breath at the pain. She felt lightheaded and a bit sick.

"Foolish girl!" Snape sighed, taking out his wand and reaching down to grasp her hand. He began a wand motion, then stopped, his expression shifting from bored disgust to surprise as he stared at her finger.

The wound had stopped bleeding, and was rapidly mending itself.

He glanced back up at Marie. She was pale as a ghost, her blue eyes widening as she looked at him, her lips parted slightly.

"Class is dismissed." Snape said curtly, glaring around him. "Clean up your cauldrons and leave. We will attempt this assignment again tomorrow."

Turning back to Marie, he examined the freshly healed scar on her finger, frowning. Conjuring a flannel with his wand, he wrapped it around her hand, and then put his wand away.

"Come, Miss Delacour." Snape said softly, almost to himself. "We'd better go have Madam Pomphrey look at this cut."

"But Sir, what about…"

"Now, Miss Delacour." He said sharply, guiding her toward the door, his hand grasping her firmly by the elbow.

ooOoo

Severus had canceled Marie's evening detention, and now he sat slumped in a chair in the Hospital wing, in Poppy's office. The Medi-witch had examined Marie and found nothing unusual—the wound was completely healed, after all—so she had released her to go back to her room after collecting her books from the Potions classroom. Now Poppy sat at her desk, looking over at Severus with worried eyes as he sat next to the Headmaster.

"You cast no spell, no charm?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"No." Snape said, shaking his head as folded his arms. "I did nothing. I barely touched her before the bleeding stopped. I barely got my wand out before it was knitting back together."

"Well, don't worry overmuch about it, Severus." The Headmaster sighed. "I'm sure it was nothing."

"If you don't mind, Headmaster, Poppy," Snape said, rising from his chair, "I believe I'll be going. I…have some essays to grade before supper."

Dumbledore sat quietly in the office with Poppy for several minutes, and then sighed.

"I know you have something to say." He said, eyeing the Medi-witch soberly. "Out with it, then."

"You're killing him, Albus." Poppy said softly. "He can't keep going like this."

"Yet he must. He is the only option I have."

"Is that how you think of him?" She snapped, glaring across the desk at the Headmaster. "An 'option'? Just one more card in your deck? He's only human, Albus."

"Poppy, please." Dumbledore sighed. "You know what we're up against if Tom returns. Severus is our only chance to gain information on his plans."

"I will not stand idly by and allow you to abuse that boy. It's not right. Did you notice how badly his hands were shaking?"

"He's hardly a boy, Poppy."

"He was when you sided with those boys from Gryffindor house against him, the night they set him up to meet Lupin in the Shrieking Shack!" She retorted hotly, glaring at him. "'A bit of fun gone awry', you said that night. I didn't think it was 'a bit of fun', not while I was healing his wounds. Thank Merlin he wasn't bitten!"

"I deeply regret doing that, I do." Dumbledore sighed. "But one can't change the past."

"Then treat him better, Albus. He deserves it."

ooOoo

February 17, 1995, 11:20 p.m. ~

With a labored sigh, Marie climbed out of the last of the great cauldrons. She checked again to make sure the interior was bright and clean, and then took her wand out to float it over to where it was to be stored.

_I am so exhausted_, she thought as she watched the cauldron rise from the stone floor and slowly begin to move toward the other cauldrons. With a muted clunk, it came to rest on the huge shelf where it was stored. Putting her wand away, she trudged toward the potions classroom, stifling a yawn.

_Thirty-three cauldrons I scrubbed out without magic_, she mused as she made her way across the classroom. _That really wasn't much fun at all. I think my blisters have blisters now._

Professor Snape was seated at his desk, his quill scratching away at the essay before him. Marie slowly walked up to the desk, swaying slightly. He continued to bend over the essay, his long black hair nearly hiding his face as he noted another deficiency in red ink.

_Charonge_, she thought sullenly as she watched him grade the essay. _I bet he gets his thrills from cutting down students, the miserable git._

"Professor?" She said, stifling another yawn.

"Yes?" Snape said, not bothering to look up.

"I'm finished, Sir."

He sat up, conjuring a scrap of cloth to wipe the nib of his quill, which he did with painstaking care, and very slowly, as if he wanted to draw out her suffering just a bit longer. When he was finally satisfied, he _vanished_ the ink-stained cloth, then carefully laid his quill aside and capped his inkwell. Only then did he bother to look up at the weary Ravenclaw standing before his desk.

"So you are." Snape said coldly, and then rose from his chair. "I'd better check your work, to make sure it is satisfactory. Here is your wand back. I suggest that you clean yourself up, you look like a chimney sweep."

With that he handed her wand to her and walked to the storeroom where the cauldrons were. Marie slowly counted to ten, struggling to rein in her temper, lest she hex him while his back was to her. Just before he entered the storeroom, she settled for raising an unsteady hand to her chin and flicking her fingers toward his back to show her contempt for him.

With a frustrated sigh, she conjured a small mirror and set it to floating before her, grimacing at her appearance. She carefully used _scorgify_ to remove most of the soot and oily residues from her hands and face; her uniform was nearly ruined and would have to be thrown away. She wearily folded up her robes and tucked them into her book bag.

_No point in putting my robes on. They'll just get dirty too_, she fumed silently as she waited impatiently for him to dismiss her.

After what seemed to be an interminable wait, he finally came back into the potions classroom. Walking over to her, he took out his wand.

"Tut-tut, Miss Delacour." He smirked. "I thought you knew the _Scorgify_ spell better than that. Hold still."

With a graceful wand motion and some softly murmured Latin, the stains vanished from her uniform, his magic tingling on her skin. To her amazement, it was restored to like-new condition, feeling as if it had been freshly laundered. She was so utterly shocked that she felt light-headed, blinking her eyes in surprise when Professor Snape's expression shifted from disdainful sneer to concern as he leaned closer to peer down at her.

"What?" She mumbled, looking up at him. The lightheaded feeling was nearly gone, and the weariness was fading rapidly.

"I said, are you alright, Miss Delacour?" Snape asked, gently taking her by the elbow and guiding her to sit on a stool. "You look rather pale, and I've had to repeat myself several times in the last few minutes. It's almost midnight. Do I need to escort you personally to your dormitory?"

"I…I think so, Sir." Marie replied hesitantly. "I…still feel a bit unsteady."

"We can leave as soon as you feel well, then." He sighed. "When I took your pulse, it was rather rapid and thready. I think we will go see Poppy, instead."

ooOoo

An hour later, in the Hospital Wing, Poppy put her wand away, shaking her head.

"Nothing, Severus." She said, taking Marie's wrist to take her pulse yet again. "Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps her blood sugar got too low while she was serving her detention."

"Nonsense, Poppy." Snape said quietly from the doorway. "She had supper before her detention."

"It wasn't that, Madam Pomphrey." Marie nodded. "I had a good supper beforehand."

"Is there any history of diabetes in your family, by chance?" Poppy asked, picking up her clipboard to jot down a few notes with her quill.

"Nothing like that, Ma'am." She answered, shaking her head.

Poppy finished, then wiped her quill off and put it away.

"Well, just to be safe, I'd like to keep you here in the Hospital Wing tonight." She said, hanging the clipboard on a hook at the foot of the bed. "Just for observation, dear."

"But I feel fine now, really I do!" Marie protested. "I feel great!"

"Sorry, dear." Poppy said soberly. "I don't want to risk it, not after the problems you've been having lately."

ooOoo

March 8, 1995, approximately 4 a.m. ~

He sighed deeply, relaxing and instinctively moving closer to the warm body behind him in the bed, the warm hand on his chest pulling him closer, the faintest tickle of breath on his ear…the rather pleasant sensation of soft breasts pressing more firmly against his back-

_Breasts?! _His eyes flew open in alarm.

In an instant, Severus Snape moved from light dozing to full awareness, sitting up in his bed and snatching the covers back.

"Lumos!" He snapped, lighting every candle in the room at once with a flick of his slender fingers.

Cowering in his bed, clutching her flannel nightgown to her chest, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders, was sixth-year Ravenclaw student Marie Delacour. She looked up at him with terror in her blue eyes, trembling violently.

_So that's where the blonde hair has been coming from_, he thought as he glared down at her.

With a muttered oath, he _accio'd_ his dark green flannel robe and put it on, tying the sash securely with shaking hands. He looked away from her for a moment, struggling to calm himself. Picking up his wand from the nightstand, he transfigured a flannel into a white bathrobe.

"Put this on." He snapped, tossing it to her as he looked elsewhere. "You are quite indecent."

"Th-thank you, Sir." She whispered faintly, struggling to put the robe on as she trembled before him.

"Well, Miss Delacour?" Snape hissed furiously, struggling to hold his temper in check. "I trust you have a perfectly good reason that you are in my bed, all the way down here in the dungeons, and not in your bed up in Ravenclaw tower…where you are supposed to be at this hour. I await said explanation with eager anticipation. But, then again, perhaps we should wait until I…summon Headmaster Dumbledore. I'm sure he'd like to hear it, as well. Don't you agree?"

By this time, Marie's face had drained of all color. For a moment, her mouth worked, but nothing came out. Snape thought she looked rather like a beached goldfish, gasping for water.

"Well? Out with it, girl!" He snapped impatiently, picking up his wand and using a spell to stoke the fire. Reaching up to the mantel, he took a handful of floo powder, preparing to toss it into the flames.

"Wait! Professor Snape, please!" She pleaded, holding out a shaky hand to stop him as she scrambled out of the bed to stand behind him. "I'll be expelled! You mustn't-"

"I mustn't?" He sneered, his voice mocking hers. "I mustn't? How…utterly amusing. Perhaps, Miss Delacour, you should have considered that possible outcome before breaking into my private quarters. I will have you expelled for this little prank of yours, I promise you that. You have mocked me quite enough."

"I wasn't—"

He tossed the powder into the fire, the flames turning green almost instantly.

"Headmaster Dumbledore." He said, crossing his arms.

After a long moment, the greenish face of the headmaster appeared.

"Severus, my boy." Dumbledore smiled, "It's rather late. Are you alright?"

"Headmaster, it appears that I have caught a student out of bed." Snape said coolly, stepping aside so that Dumbledore could see Marie cowering behind him.

The Headmaster's blue eyes widened behind his spectacles in surprise.

"Oh, dear." Albus frowned, blinking. "I…oh, my. Bring her to my office, Severus."

"Immediately, Headmaster." He nodded, smirking slightly.

ooOoo

Marie sat on the couch near the fireplace in the Headmaster's office, shivering in spite of the warm flannel robe that had been conjured for her, to put on over the terrycloth robe she already wore. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, considering what she'd just told them, while Snape leaned against the mantle of the fireplace, a sour expression on his face now.

"Miss Delacour…" Dumbledore said quietly, leaning forward in his chair, "…why have you not talked to someone about this…problem of yours? Your head of house, Poppy, or myself, even? We can't help you if we don't know you have a problem, dear."

"I…I was embarrassed, sir." She said, with a nervous glance at Professor Snape. "It was…most disturbing, finding myself in…Professor Snape's bed. I was terrified that I'd be caught…every time I woke up in his…his…um…"

Marie blushed deeply, unable to continue as she studied the ornate rug. Dumbledore sat stunned, his mouth agape in shock; Snape looked as if he might have a stroke at any moment. She felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole, anything to get away, to escape the dark eyes that now bored relentlessly into her.

"Every time?" Snape finally managed to choke out, his face livid with rage, leaning over the back of the couch to glare down at her. Marie cringed, pulling away from him. He was clutching the back of the couch tightly, as if to hold himself up, trembling violently with anger.

"You mean it has happened before tonight?" He snapped, incredulous. "And more than once?! Just how many times have you been in my bed, girl?"

Hesitantly, Marie nodded, fighting to quell her trembling.

"I…I think this was," She said softly, her voice barely audible, "The eighth…no, the twelfth time it's happened…maybe…I think…" Her voice trailed off to nothing as she cringed at the expression on Professor Snape's face.

"Twelve times…!" He rasped, eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at her.

"I think so, Sir." Marie said softly, blushing even more. "There have been other times…when I…when I could tell I'd been up and about…but I'm not sure if I…you know, um…went to your…quarters."

"You have been in my quarters, in my bed, twelve times…that you are sure of…" Snape hissed, anger flaring anew in his dark eyes. Marie flinched, shrinking away from him once again.

"Please, Severus." Dumbledore said, holding up his hand. "Sit down, please. You're frightening Miss Delacour, and that isn't helping matters at all. You need to calm down."

Giving her a withering glare, Snape went to the farthest armchair from her and sat down, his face much paler than usual. Marie carefully avoided looking in his direction, choosing instead to examine the pink bunny slippers that the Headmaster had thoughtfully conjured to help keep her bare feet warm.

Dumbledore turned back to Marie, giving her a comforting smile.

"Did you ever have problems with sleepwalking before now, dear?" He asked gently. "Perhaps as a child, before or after your magic manifested?"

Snape made a rude noise, glaring over at the Headmaster, who shot him an admonishing look over his glasses.

"I've never heard of a sleepwalker doing magic, Headmaster." Severus scoffed. "My room is warded at night, as part of the…normal precautions I take. It would be impossible for a student, even a gifted one, to break in while awake. I rather doubt that Miss Delacour is up to the task. She didn't even have her wand with her."

"Yet it has happened, Severus." Dumbledore said, raising an eyebrow at Snape. "And not once, but several times, according to Miss Delacour. Perhaps you might need to check your wards more carefully. It is possible, since she has been to your quarters more than once, that they have attuned themselves to her magical signature by accident."

"Well, dear?" He asked Marie again. "Do you know if you have ever been a sleepwalker?"

"I…I don't think so, sir." She said, pulling the robe tighter around herself. "At least, my parents never have mentioned anything about me sleepwalking, even when I was younger."

"Well, I think you should go see Poppy in the morning, dear. Just to have her check you over, make sure you're alright. You really look like you don't feel well. I'll write you a note to excuse you from your classes for a few days, until you're over this."

Snape suddenly looked rather uncomfortable, as if he had suddenly developed indigestion.

"Headmaster, in just the past few months, this student has had fourteen instances in my classroom where I have had to take points or give her detention, or both. She is rude, ill-mannered, and a troublemaker the likes of which I have not seen in many years. Therefore, I demand-"

"No, Severus." The Headmaster said firmly, "She will not be expelled, not until I investigate this matter further and determine why this has happened."

"Headmaster," Snape said uneasily, "you know as well as I that I cannot have something like this happen when I am…performing some of my 'other duties'."

"Severus! Enough!" Dumbledore snapped angrily, shocking Marie. "We will not be discussing that with a student present."

With a disgruntled huff, Snape leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and glaring out the window into the night.

Picking up a quill, the Headmaster wrote out a hall pass, which he handed to Marie, along with a large bar of Medi-chocolate.

"Eat this right away, my dear." He smiled gently. "You need to keep your strength up. Please, try not to misbehave anymore, and go see Poppy in the morning."

As the door to the Headmaster's office closed behind her, she paused on the landing for a moment. From the muffled shouting she could hear through the door, it was fairly obvious that Dumbledore and Snape were having it out about whatever it was that shouldn't be discussed in front of students. Swallowing nervously, Marie made her way down the stairs tightly clutching her hall pass in trembling hands. She certainly didn't want to get in any more trouble tonight, and being caught eavesdropping seemed likely to lead to that very thing.

'_Other duties'?_ She wondered as she carefully made her way down the spiral staircase. _What is Snape doing for the Headmaster?_

ooOoo

"Severus, I'm disappointed in you." Dumbledore said softly as soon as the girl had left. Picking up his wand, he made a few intricate motions, mumbling a bit in Latin; now any eavesdroppers would only hear arguing, with the words being unintelligible.

"I do not care." Snape hissed angrily, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "I am not involved with a student. You know me better than that, Albus."

"I did not think for a moment that you were, Severus. While most would frown on such a thing, you need some means to relieve your stress. The girl is of legal age, you know. She could be of great comfort to you—"

Snape abruptly got up with a sharp oath, crossing the room to a cabinet. Retrieving a glass, he began poking through bottles of liquor, muttering under his breath. Dumbledore watched the younger wizard silently, a pained expression on his face.

"The firewhiskey is toward the back, to the left side." Dumbledore said with a sigh of resignation.

Snape carried the glass and bottle of firewhiskey back to his chair, setting the glass on the table next to the chair and uncorking the bottle. With a trembling hand, he tried to pour some in the glass, succeeding mainly in slopping some of the amber liquor on the table and floor. With a muttered curse, he pulled out his wand, _vanishing_ the spilled firewhiskey.

"Albus, I am NOT involved with a student!" The younger wizard hissed angrily, glaring at him as he picked up the bottle again. "Some wizards might stoop to such a thing, but I do not. Such a thing would be most unethical—"

"Allow me, Severus." The Headmaster said, rising to walk over to Snape and taking the firewhiskey from his shaking hands. He poured three fingers into the glass and corked the bottle, then sent it back to the liquor cabinet with a negligent wave of his hand. Shaking his head disapprovingly at the younger wizard, he went back to his chair and sat down.

"I don't believe you need to drink much more than that, Severus." He said sternly. "I need you sober."

"I…really don't need this right now." Snape said, his voice unsteady. "Not right now. I…have enough to deal with. I don't know exactly what is going on yet, but someone is manipulating the tournament. I'm sure of it now. So far I've been lucky, I've been able to keep Harry from being hurt, but it has been difficult at times."

"Yes, but who might be behind it?" Asked the Headmaster. "Karkaroff?"

"He would seem be a likely suspect, but I have not been able to find anything to implicate him. No, it is someone else, and they are very good at covering their tracks."

"Any clues at all as to who it might be?"

"No." Snape sighed. "Can you talk to that bloody lunatic Moody, somehow get him off my back? The paranoid old fool watches me constantly. I swear, I'm going to hex him if he doesn't back off."

"Just do your best to protect Harry, Severus."

Snape drained the glass of firewhiskey, closing his eyes as the liquor burned its way down his throat.

"I will, Headmaster. I keep my promises."

Snape placed the empty glass on the table, rose from his chair, and left.

Dumbledore gave a sigh of exasperation, shaking his head.

ooOoo

The days slowly dragged by, with Marie avoiding Snape as much as she could, sitting at the rear of the classroom in Advanced Potions while he stolidly ignored her. Luna was kind enough to turn in her written assignments for her, and Snape didn't seem to mind it. If she happened to see him in the hallway, she would change her path to avoid him, and when it was impossible to reach her destination without passing by him she kept her eyes on the floor to avoid notice.

The dreams were worse than ever now.

She'd taken to binding herself hand and foot with a charm that expired at six in the morning, and had even gotten it to work correctly, most of the time. A few times she'd awakened in the hallway outside the Ravenclaw dormitory, once in the nude, which distressed her greatly. Especially when she'd only just barely made it through the common room before three boys came in from their dormitory.

_It's as if this curse—and that's what it is, a curse—is angry with me_, she had thought as she hurriedly dressed in her uniform and donned her robes for the day in her room.

"Are you coming?" Luna asked, poking her head in the door. "You won't have time to eat breakfast if you don't hurry up."

"I…I'm not really hungry, Luna." Marie said nervously. "Thanks anyway."

"At least get a house elf to bring you some tea and toast. Have them put some clover honey in it; it will help calm down your tummy. That's what my daddy always said."

"I will. Thank you."

On her way to first period class, she had the misfortune of bumping into Snape as she rounded a corner, dropping her bag and spilling books, parchments, and everything else all over the floor of the hallway. Blue eyes widening with terror, she shrank back from him.

"Watch where you're—" He hissed irritably, turning toward her. Whatever he was about to say, he bit it off once he recognized her, turning in a swirl of black robes and angrily stalking off. With a sigh of part relief, part dismay, she knelt and gathered her things, putting them back in her bag.

Day after day, it went on much like this, her nerves fraying more with each day's passing.

Avoiding him at all costs, trying to get by on what fitful sleep she could get, terrified that she would wake in his bed yet again. What little free time she could spare was spent in the library, reading through ancient tomes for something—anything that might give her some relief.

Alongside all of this, the constant, nagging, undeniable, undefinable need that she miserably tried to ignore.

ooOoo

April 2, 1995~

"This is outrageous! Headmaster, I would rather resign than do such a thing! If this were to become public, my career would be ruined!"

"Severus, calm down." Headmaster Dumbledore said, holding up his hands. "It's only temporary. It appears to be the only thing that can be done to help her while Poppy and Professors Flitwick and Sprout work on a cure."

"Have you forgotten that I am the Potions Master at this school?" He growled, glaring at each of them in turn.

"Yes, and you will be making the antidote," Dumbledore said, "Our goal here is to expedite some sort of potion to relieve the pain and cramping for Marie, if not a cure. Professor Flitwick will be researching the effects of the potion on Marie with Poppy, and Professor Sprout will be handling the obtaining of the necessary ingredients. When the time comes, you'll be handling the brewing, as well as collaborating with them on the composition. This needs to be resolved quickly, and cooperation will be essential. Don't you agree?"

Snape was pacing in front of the fireplace in the Headmaster's office, a vein pulsing in his temple as he glared around the room. The Headmaster sat behind his desk, one hand toying with his beard, while Professor Flitwick stood next to him. Marie Delacour sat shivering and wrapped up in a blanket next to Poppy, jumping a bit as the Medi-Witch gently put a comforting arm around her.

"Severus, sit down, for Merlin's sake!" Poppy said angrily. "You're upsetting my patient! Her condition is rather delicate right now."

Severus glared daggers at the Medi-Witch, but grudgingly sat down in the armchair farthest from the couch. He avoided looking at Marie entirely, folding his arms across his chest and stolidly ignoring her; Marie kept her eyes on the floor, swaying between wakefulness and weariness. She hadn't slept for three days, and had begun to think she was hallucinating at times. Dark circles under her eyes, her hair unkempt, and a rapid loss of weight were silent testimony that she was gravely ill.

"Severus, no one likes this situation, I assure you." Dumbledore said gently. "As Poppy and Professor Flitwick have explained, the potion that was put into Miss Delacour's pumpkin juice did not have the expected results. The culprit, Miss Eugenia Hargrove has been punished, but the damage has been done, I fear."

"I wish it would have worked." Marie whispered bitterly, half to herself, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I could live with being ugly, but this…"

"There, there, dear." Poppy said gently. "It'll all be right soon. We're working on reversing this; we'll put things right as soon as we can. It's not your fault."

"What do you found so far from examining the potion that was left in the vial," Dumbledore asked, "That was recovered from Miss Hargrove's room?"

Snape pursed his lips grimly, gathering his thoughts for a moment.

"Miss Hargrove," he said, just a hint of a sneer in his voice, "attempted to make the _Taeterrima_ potion, which, as we know by now, has the effect of rendering the person who consumes it hideously ugly for a period of approximately seven days…and botched it so completely I should fail her in Potions for it on general principle. The potion was contaminated with several ingredients not required for its making, not the least of which was kneazle dandruff, harpy toenail clippings, and a single human hair. She relied on a wand to control the temperature, as well as monitor the stirring, which is not recommended when making this potion. An utterly lazy and incompetent, half-arsed attempt to make a potion far beyond her capabilities as a potion maker."

Poppy frowned, shaking her head in disgust.

"Why would she do such a thing?" She asked, looking at Professor Flitwick. "And to a member of her own house, to boot?"

"Jealousy." Flitwick sighed. "Miss Hargrove was angry that her boyfriend, William Evans, seemed to pay more attention to Miss Delacour than herself. She made the potion to try to teach Miss Delacour a lesson, by turning her into an ugly hag."

"So, why did it not work as intended?" Poppy asked, glancing at Snape. "She's still just as lovely as before she took the potion."

"I have no idea, Poppy." Severus said coldly. "As I said, Miss Hargrove made a complete botch of the potion, and administered it without heed for the effects. She showed extremely poor judgment and a complete disregard for the safety of a fellow student, behavior that borders on being criminal. That's why I recommended that she be expelled, based on the fact that _Taeterrima _is on the list of potions forbidden to students, both to make it and to possess it."

Craning his neck to look up at Snape, Flitwick hesitated for a moment, as if he were carefully considering the wisdom of his next words.

"Severus," He said, hooking his thumb in his vest pocket near his wand, "Were you able to determine the origin of the human hair?"

"Of course." Snape said acidly. "It was…one of mine. Satisfied? It could have just as easily been one of yours, Filus. Or Hagrid's, or the Headmasters, or…"

"Severus, please." Dumbledore said sternly, with a brief glance at Marie. "We're trying to make the best of a bad situation, to resolve a problem. You don't need to be so difficult."

Snape merely glowered at the Headmaster for a moment, and then turned to glare at the Medi-witch.

"So what you are saying, Poppy," Severus hissed darkly, "is that I must allow a student, a sixteen year old girl, to sleep in my bed with me…because she has to touch me. I'm sure that the Board of Regents, as well as the Ministry, would be quite delighted to hear of this. Never mind what the student's parents might think of it. I may as well start packing to move to Siberia now, before the lynch mobs arrive at the gates of Hogwarts."

Snape turned toward Dumbledore, crossing his arms and raising one eyebrow.

"Oh, and by the way, have you notified her parents as to what has happened?" He sneered, glaring at the Headmaster. "If I were her father, I would most certainly want to know about it. Especially if you were to force my daughter to sleep with a former Death Eater-"

"That will be quite enough, Severus!" Dumbledore boomed, glaring up at the Potions Master. "Not another word!"

Marie cringed, with Poppy hugging her close to comfort her.

"That's what it amounts to, isn't it?" Snape said softly, his voice flat and dead, his eyes locked with Dumbledore's. "As usual…I have no choice whatsoever in the matter."

Poppy hesitated for a moment, glancing at Dumbledore, who was watching Severus closely. For a moment, silence hung heavy in the room, until Poppy cleared her throat, interrupting the silent confrontation.

"Yes, Severus." She frowned, looking at Snape. "She needs some contact, um…skin on skin with you, to have any relief. It appears that that may be the only option for her, at least until we can counteract the potion in some way."

"Can't we just let it wear off?" Professor Flitwick asked. "Surely, the effects of the potion should wear off with time."

"No." Poppy replied. "It…for some reason, the effects do not seem to be diminishing, but rather, intensifying with each day. This potion, the effects are not like a typical potion at all. It's as if-"

"As if it has altered her permanently in some way." Severus said sourly. "Am I correct, Poppy?"

"Yes. It's almost like a curse."

"So, she must touch me, for at least four to six hours, her skin," He paused to grimace, "touching mine, every twenty-four hours."

"Yes. I already explained that." Poppy said irritably, anger flashing in her eyes. "You were there for our…tests, Severus. You saw how lack of contact affected her; she does alright for twelve to sixteen hours, but then her symptoms become unbearable. You couldn't possibly wish that on your worst enemy, let alone a student!"

Marie shivered slightly, under the wool blanket that was wrapped around her, her eyes downcast.

Snape gave Dumbledore a sullen look, slouching in his chair a bit, and then looked directly at Marie.

"I suppose," He said, addressing her directly, "this gives you a good example of why I don't allow the use of wands in my classroom. Petty little spats like this between girls unworthy of the title 'witch'."

She refused to meet his gaze, closing her eyes and biting her lip till she tasted blood.

_You insensitive bastard_, Marie thought to herself as she shivered. _I utterly despise you, you heartless monster._

"Well, this is decided, then." The Headmaster sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Miss Delacour, you will start tonight. I will write you a hall pass that will allow you in the dungeons after hours. Filius, do whatever is necessary to facilitate it, and do be discreet about it. We can't afford for this to become known outside this room, let alone the school."

Dismissed, they all began to shuffle toward the door.

"Severus?" Headmaster Dumbledore said quietly, causing Snape to frown sullenly as he turned to face the Headmaster. "I'd like to have a word with you, in private."

ooOoo

"Good evening." He said blandly, standing in the doorway, already dressed for bed, with his threadbare green wool robe on over sensible black silk pajamas. He didn't seem terribly inclined to move so she could enter his quarters, forcing her to nervously stand in the darkened Potions classroom. Instead, he merely glared sullenly down at her, completely blocking the doorway. Biting her lip, Marie fought back a rising temptation to kick him in the shin.

"Good evening, Professor." Marie said nervously, clutching her overnight bag to her chest. "Um…may I come in, please?"

After just a moment, Snape sighed, grudgingly moving out of the open doorway so she could enter. Closing the door, he went to his armchair and sat down. Marie stood near the fireplace, clutching her overnight bag.

"By tomorrow afternoon," He said wearily, "the floo in my bedroom will be connected to the floo in your bedroom. The Headmaster thought it will be less likely that someone would notice you coming and going that way. You will need to leave in the mornings in plenty of time to return to your dormitory…or bring clothing to wear for the next day."

"Yes, sir." She nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Snape frowned at her, his jaw working.

"I will be sleeping on the side of the bed nearest the fireplace, in case anyone floos me in the middle of the night. If you hear the floo activate, you will hide under the covers behind me, and you will not make a sound. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"You are allowed to…" He grimaced, as if the very idea of it was repulsive, "…touch me as you need to, but only for the amount of time necessary to alleviate your discomfort. I sleep poorly enough these days, and I don't need someone groping me constantly at night."

This was more than she could bear.

"Sir, I didn't do this on purpose!" She said, anger rising in her. "You're not being fair! I was the victim of a vicious prank, yet you act like I wanted this to happen! I can't help it that…touching you seems to be the only way that I can relieve my pain! You're being completely unreasonable!"

Suddenly he had crossed the room, looming over her, the force of his presence causing her to involuntarily stumble backward. For a moment, she thought he might strike her, and she flinched. He towered over her, his eyes flashing with anger and some other emotion that she couldn't quite determine. She felt her back hit the stone wall behind her as she backed away from him, giving a tiny squeak of terror. He glared deeply into her widened blue eyes, his jaw set grimly as he leaned closer to her.

"In case you never noticed, Miss Delacour." He hissed bitterly, his nose nearly touching hers, "Life…isn't…fair. The reckless actions of one of your housemates has brought this farce upon us. You don't want to be here, and I most certainly do not want you here. But this is how things are, for now, and I would appreciate you not whinging about it like a spoilt child!"

Turning away, he crossed the room to a liquor cabinet and retrieved a bottle of firewhiskey, along with a glass. She leaned weakly against the wall, trembling, watching as he poured two fingers of the amber liquor and downed it.

"It wasn't my fault." She whispered softly, knees shaky, her voice nearly inaudible. "I didn't do anything to deserve this."

"Neither did I, Miss Delacour." Snape said, as he refilled his glass. "I do not know why, but we are both victims of that thrice-cursed abomination of a potion that your housemate slipped you. I assure you that I am spending every spare minute that I have researching a cure with Professors Flitwick and Sprout, as well as the Headmaster and Poppy."

"I'm…I'm sorry that I lost my temper, Sir."

"Never mind that." He said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Now, we do need to have some ground rules."

"I…" She swallowed nervously. "Um, yes, Sir."

"First, I have official duties both at the school and off the grounds that demand my undivided attention…and they are none of your business. They have priority over your…affliction. Should I not be available to you, you will have to wait until my return. You are not allowed to be in my quarters if I am not present."

"Yes, Sir."

"Second, you are not to ask any questions about what I am doing. I am acting on the orders of the Headmaster, and that is all you need to know. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Third, you will NOT touch me anywhere below the waist, ever. I trust you are not so naïve that I will have to explain why?"

"Yes, Sir. I mean, no, Sir!" Marie stammered, blushing scarlet and looking at her feet. "Um…I'm a virgin, Sir. I've never been with anyone, ever…"

"I care not one whit," Snape hissed, his eyes flashing, "about your sexual experience or activities. Whether you are a maiden or a whore, I do not care. You could be sharing the bed of every boy in this castle, and I could care less."

With that, he turned away from her, picking up his glass and taking another sip.

Marie's face was red as a beet as she glared at his back, her fingernails cutting into her palms as she fairly trembled with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. For a moment, she considered hexing him, mentally running through the curses she was confident with to pick the nastiest one. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her robes, her hand coming to rest on her wand as she set her jaw in determination. Slowly she began to draw her wand, beginning the hex in her mind.

"I don't think it would be wise." Snape said softly, not even bothering to turn around. "The results of losing your temper and hexing me could be…unpredictable at best. I would wager that you would probably come out the worse for it."

She swallowed nervously, carefully removing her trembling hand from her wand and putting her thoughts of hexing him aside. He took another sip of firewhiskey, eying her thoughtfully, his face unreadable. After a moment, he spoke again, setting the glass down on the table next to his armchair.

"Last, I will require you to take a wizarding oath to not divulge anything you may see or hear in your time spent in my quarters, especially regarding my duties outside the school. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir." If anything, Marie was blushing even more deeply, hardly able to look him in the eye by now.

"Take out your wand." He said, standing up with his wand in his hand, holding his other hand out.

She looked at his outstretched hand uneasily, then reached out and took it in hers. Warmth and relief instantly surged through her, causing her knees to go weak. Her eyes closed for a moment as she felt the pain leave her, causing her to feel light-headed.

"Miss Delacour?" Snape said dryly.

"What?" She mumbled woozily, blinking, her eyes struggling to focus on her professor.

"Your wand."

"Oh! Right. My wand, got it." Marie raised her wand nervously. "Ready, Sir."

"Do you, Marie Delacour," He said, "solemnly swear not to divulge anything that you may see or hear concerning the duties assigned to Severus Snape outside this school?"

"I…solemnly…swear that I, Marie Delacour, will not divulge anything that I see or hear concerning the duties assigned to Severus Snape outside this school."

Magic swirled around them, marking the establishment of the wizarding oath, as was normal for the ritual.

Abruptly Snape jerked his hand away with a hiss of pain, dropping his wand with a clatter to cradle his hand.

"Professor!" Marie said, alarmed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He snapped, turning away from her and retrieving his wand. "Go get ready for bed. The bedroom is down that hallway, the last door on the left. If you need to use the loo, it's at the end of the hallway."

Hesitating for just a second, she left the sitting room, retreating down the short hallway to the bedroom.

Only when he heard the door to the bedroom close did he open his hand and look.

Burned into his palm of his left hand was an intricate rune, one that he'd never seen before. As he watched, the fresh burn healed rapidly, leaving only a faint, slivery scar, the rune still clear on his palm. He examined it at length, struggling to recall if he had seen one like it before, but to no avail.

_What next? _Severus sighed, rubbing his eyes in frustration. _What is this dammed rune, why is this happening now?_

_I don't need this now_, he thought, sitting down in his favorite armchair wearily. _How do I teach my classes, do Dumbledore's bidding, protect Harry? _

_What if the Dark Lord returns? My life will be worth nothing; I will be a mere pawn in the game, manipulated by both sides. _

_And…now, it seems, I must allow a teenage girl to TOUCH me at night so she can live another day without agonizing pain. I think I may go mad, I'm sure of it._

_What did I do to deserve this? _

_Why me? Do the gods despise me that much?_

_Life isn't fair, indeed,_ he thought bitterly. _Who would know that better than I? After all, it's a lesson that has been driven home, over and over, all of my wretched life._

"Professor?" Marie said softly, holding her terry bathrobe tightly closed around her neck. "Um…are you coming to…to bed?"

Snape sighed, and then nodded, following the petite young woman to his bedroom.

_It would seem that the gods despise me_, he thought grimly, feeling as if he were being led to the gallows.

ooOoo

They slowly settled into a comfortable routine, of sorts. Every evening about eight, the flames in his sitting room fireplace would turn green and Marie would step out of them, brushing the ash from her robes. With a nervous nod of greeting to Severus, who usually was sitting in his armchair reading, she would go to the bathroom to change into her nightclothes. Curious housemates she discouraged by an artfully concocted tale of having to spend extra time studying at the library, though a few subtle memory charms were applied by Professor Flitwick to overly inquisitive fellow students, when necessary.

Severus spent many evenings between dinner and her arrival leafing through ancient reference books and scrolls, diligently searching for anything that bore the slightest resemblance to the rune on his left palm. It was a curious thing that since the return of the Dark Lord, at times it seemed to act to block or at least lessen the pain of being summoned to some degree. Its benefits tended to be somewhat unreliable and capricious, however; it was maddening that he could not find out what the rune symbolized, or what possible effects it might have. Attempts to remove it had caused him so much discomfort he had abandoned that idea completely. Frustrated, Severus had taken the precaution of applying a glamour to his hand to conceal it; the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself, and a rune that he couldn't explain could make things difficult indeed for him.

Marie devoted her time between her arrival and bedtime to her studies, spreading her textbooks and parchment out on a small desk that he conjured in the sitting room for her to use. Silently and diligently she worked, the only noise in the room being the crackle of the fire, the scratching of her quill on her parchments, and the turning of pages as Severus read in his armchair. Interaction between them was generally polite and distant, with Snape not speaking much at all to her, except to answer the occasional question from her related to her homework. This he did politely and without the usual snide sarcasm she had come to associate with him; it surprised her that he actually was quite willing to help her outside the classroom environment. Short answers to her questions eventually turned into full-blown discussions on a variety of topics beyond her studies; within a few weeks she had begun to wonder if there was anything he didn't know something about, and one night even was brave enough to ask him that question.

"I'm pretty sure that I don't know everything, Miss Delacour." He had replied, a tiny smirk on his lips. "That's why I read so much. Knowledge is something that one pursues their entire lifetime."

Gradually, her fear and dislike of him abated, probably due to the amount of time they spent together, platonic as it seemed to be. He was more polite and considerate, and she found him even charming at times, as well as rather shy. Marie would come to bed, sliding between the covers on 'her side', as she had come to think of it—the thought of it amused her, until the novelty wore off—and then Severus would put out the candle, plunging his bedroom into darkness. She gradually got brave enough to put her hand under his pajama top, the better to touch his skin; while he grudgingly allowed this more intimate contact, he never touched her.

One night toward the end of April, she felt more restless than usual, tossing and turning in the bed. Constantly she would reach out to touch him, as if to reassure herself that he was still there. He gritted his teeth, assuring himself that once she got comfortable, she would be able to sleep…and then, so would he. Finally, it got to be too much for Snape.

"Would you be still?" He said irritably, turning to glower at her in the dark bedroom.

"I'm sorry, Sir." Marie said nervously, scooting a bit farther away from him. "I'm…I guess I'm just restless, Sir. I'll be still now, I promise. Sorry."

With a muttered oath, he plumped his pillow and rolled onto his side, facing away from her. Silence pressed in on her like a heavy blanket, stifling her. She closed her eyes, but still felt restless.

"Um, Sir?"

"What?" He sighed.

"Why are you so angry?" Marie asked nervously.

"That is none of your business."

She lay there in bed next to him, shivering, biting her lip. When the first soft whimper finally managed to escape her tightly closed lips, Snape sat up in bed with a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"For the love of Merlin! I-are you hurting?" He asked irritably.

"No." Marie whispered. "I'm fine, Sir, really I am."

He rummaged around in the bed, locating an extra pillow and stuffing it between them as a partial barrier.

"Raise your head up a bit." He said grumpily as he rolled over to face her. "You are a terrible liar, Miss Delacour. As transparent as a pane of glass."

Despite her protests, he slid his arm under her head to act as a pillow, carefully putting his other arm around her, his hand placed on her nightdress almost exactly on her navel. Marie gasped, surprised at the warmth that suddenly seemed to spread through her abdomen. Nervously, she lay back down, resting her head on his upper arm.

"This means nothing," Snape grumbled softly in her ear, "more than me trying to get you to sleep, so I can sleep. Between teaching classes, working on that dammed antidote for your…affliction, and…what I have to do for the Headmaster, I'm exhausted. Now, please try to sleep."

Marie teetered on the verge of over-stimulation, lying there wrapped in his strong arms, his slender fingers splayed across her tummy, the soft rustle of his breath on her neck. She closed her eyes with a sigh as she tried to relax, and then realized something.

_I don't hurt anymore_, she thought, her body relaxing into his, reaching up to take hold of his hand. _There's no…no pain at all. Just warmth._

"Um…Professor Snape?" She whispered nervously.

"What?" He sighed, trying to keep the annoyance from his voice.

"Thank you, Sir."

"You're welcome. Now, please, go to sleep."

"Yes, sir. Goodnight, Professor."

"Goodnight, Miss Delacour."

_I do wish she would stop running her thumb across that scar on my palm_, he thought. _ I've searched through every book on runes at Hogwarts, including those in the restricted section…and found nothing._

_This is maddening._

ooOoo

The next evening, when she went to his room, he wasn't there. She waited until nearly midnight, anxiously biting her nails and pacing the floor. Finally, she flooed Headmaster Dumbledore from the bedroom fireplace.

"Yes, how did it go, Severus?" The Headmaster said, and then blinked in surprise. "Oh. It's you, my dear. Um, is Professor Snape there?"

"No, Sir, he isn't." Marie said nervously. "I'm worried. He's always here. Where is he?"

Dumbledore pondered her question for a few moments, and then gave a sigh of resignation.

"Step aside, my dear. I'm coming through." He said, shrugging on his robe.

After a few minutes, he stepped out of the fireplace into Snape's bedroom, brushing the ash off himself. Conjuring a couple of low stools, he waved his hand, directing Marie to sit down.

"Just a moment, if you don't mind." Dumbledore said, taking some floo powder and tossing it into the fireplace. "Hospital Wing."

Something about the way he said it made Marie's stomach give a funny lurch, and a wave of nausea passed through her.

"Yes, Headmaster?" Poppy's face said from the flames. "What is…oh, dear. Is it Severus?"

"I hope not, Poppy, but I thought you might want to be prepared. Miss Delacour is with me, by the way. She…came down here to spend her time with Professor Snape, and he's not back yet. I want you to come and wait with her, while I…go look for Severus."

"Right away, Headmaster." Poppy said grimly. "Allow me to fetch a few things, and I'll be right down."

The Medi-witch's face vanished, and the flames turned their normal orange and yellow again. Dumbledore went to the other stool, next to Marie, and sat down wearily.

"What I am going to tell you, my dear, is a closely held secret." He said softly, measuring his words carefully. "Yet I feel that due to your rather unique situation, you would not do anything to endanger Professor Snape."

"Of course not, Headmaster!" Marie said, shaking her head. "I never really liked him that much, but he is a good professor, and…he has been very kind to me lately. Concerning…my problem."

"That's good to hear. I feared that he might be…less than helpful to you. I'm sure that you have noticed that he can be a bit moody?"

"That's for sure!" Marie laughed out loud, and then clapped her hands to her mouth, horrified by her outburst.

Dumbledore smiled genially, and then chuckled.

"It's alright, dear." He said gently. "A good sense of humor is necessary in these dark days."

"Are you…" Marie swallowed nervously. "Are you talking about You-know-who, sir?"

"Indeed I am, my dear. And his name is Voldemort. There's no need to be afraid of him."

"Easier said than done, sir." She said, and then her face clouded. "You said you needed to talk to me. Is it about Professor Snape? Where is he?"

The floo activated, the flames turning green in the fireplace, and Poppy stepped through with a bag.

"Hello, Miss Delacour." She said, nodding to Dumbledore. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, it's not too bad." Marie said, her anxiety growing by the minute. "Headmaster, you were saying-"

"Ah, yes." Dumbledore sighed. "Miss Delacour, Professor Snape has accepted a rather dangerous assignment from me. While you have been coming to his quarters at night for him to help you with your problem…tonight, you must return to your room. Poppy will escort you there. Poppy, I'm headed to the usual spot…meet me back at the Hospital wing."

With a sad smile and a nod to Poppy, Dumbledore vanished in a swirl of smoke. Marie stood up, nearly knocking her stool over.

"He just apparated!" She gasped, eyes wide. "From inside the castle-"

"He did, indeed." Poppy smiled. "Remember, he is the Headmaster, and allowed to do so, dear. Now, come with me. We need to go to the Hospital Wing…and get ready."

"But the headmaster said…"

"I'm to escort you to your room." The Medi-witch smiled grimly. "However, I need to go to the Hospital wing first, and I think you should stay with me. I might need your help, dear."

As she followed Poppy through the floo, Marie couldn't shake the feeling that this would be a very long night.

ooOoo

Stepping out of the floo into the Hospital Wing, Marie nervously followed Poppy as the Medi-witch rapidly walked down the hallway, obviously having done all of this before. The young witch only hesitated when they came to a door marked 'Restricted Area-No Admittance to Students', eyeing the sign uneasily. Poppy held the door open for her with a touch of irritation.

"Come along, dear." The Medi-witch said crisply. "We may not have much time to get ready, and I have a feeling that I'll need some help. How well did you do with your healing charms?"

"Um…pretty well, I guess." Marie replied, swallowing nervously. "I wasn't the best student, but I did alright. I can't say that I've much opportunity to practice since my class."

"Well, young lady," The Medi-witch said softly, walking down the hallway, "I'm sure you'll have an opportunity to practice tonight."

Leading Marie to a room with a single hospital bed, Poppy began to rapidly _accio_ several items, catching them and placing them on a tray on the bedside table. As she watched, Marie's eyes grew wide. Pain-relieving potion, essence of dittany, bandages (lots of those), and a whole host of potions and materials that she'd never even heard of or even read about covered the tray, enough for a host of patients.

"This should be enough, I hope." Poppy sighed, pulling out an old pocket watch and glancing at it, nodding toward the fireplace. "Good timing, too. They should be here any minute now."

"Um, Madam Pomphrey…" Marie asked nervously eyeing a tray of sterile needles and sutures, "Does this sort of thing happen often?"

"First off, my dear, please call me Poppy, since we're going to be working together tonight."

"Yes, ma'am-I mean, yes, Poppy."

"That's better." The Medi-witch nodded. "How much has Headmaster Dumbledore told you about what Professor Snape does around here for him?"

"Not much, really. He was going to tell me something, and then you came out of the floo…"

"Ah, so I interrupted him at the moment he was going to tell you."

"Pretty much, I guess."

"Professor Snape is doing some rather dangerous…um, covert work for the Headmaster, dangerous because many of the people he is dealing with are with the Dark Lord. He—well, you'll see. Here they come now."

With a puff of swirling smoke, Headmaster Dumbledore appeared, his hand on an unconscious Professor Snape, who floated next to him in mid-air. The Headmaster frowned at Poppy.

"Poppy, is this wise, to have Miss Delacour here?" He asked gently, glancing at Marie, who was transfixed, a look of horror on her face. "I believe that I asked you to take her to her room."

"She needs to touch him, Albus." Poppy said calmly, walking over to begin her examination of Snape. "We're killing two birds with one stone. Besides, you know how this kind of thing is. Odds are good I could use some help, and the girl has had her healer training, and did well in her class."

_That's not what I said! _Marie thought, meaning to speak it aloud, but the sight before her prevented it. Indeed, it seemed that she could not draw breath to even speak.

She couldn't tear her gaze away from him. He floated before her, his face deathly pale, eyes closed. Numerous cuts covered his face and hands, with the blood that dripped from his clothing silently confirming that there were more injuries that were hidden. Headmaster Dumbledore watched her carefully for a few seconds, and then spoke.

"_Sectumsempra_…a curse that Severus himself invented, while he was still a student here at Hogwarts. Generally not fatal, but it has been combined tonight with the _Cruciatus_ curse, the unforgivable that you should have learned about in your Defense Against the Dark Arts classes."

"It…it's horrible!" Marie whispered, still horrified. "Who would do such a thing?"

Dumbledore shook his head, floating Severus' body over to the hospital bed and gently placing the injured Potions Master on it.

"Voldemort, or one of his minions." He sighed, glancing at Poppy.

"But why? Why Professor Snape?" Marie asked. "What is going on here?"

"For Merlin's sake, Albus!" Poppy snapped, glaring at him as she tended Severus' wounds. "Just tell her. She's old enough to understand, she's not a child."

"Miss Delacour," Dumbledore said with a weary sigh, "what I am going to tell you may endanger your life. Are you willing to accept that?"

Hesitantly, Marie nodded. She could still scarcely tear her eyes from Severus. He still lay unconscious on the bed, Poppy carefully cutting off his clothing with a set of shears, revealing deep cuts in his upper torso. The scraps shirt piled up on the floor, waiting to be removed by the house elves, fine white Egyptian cotton now stained reddish brown with drying blood.

_So much blood_, she thought with a shudder, unconsciously reaching down to take Severus' hand in her own. For a change, it felt icy cold to her touch, not the warmth that she was used to, and the feeling of relief was not nearly as strong.

_I feel so helpless_, she thought in despair. _I can't do anything to help him now._

"Miss Delacour?" Dumbledore said patiently, snapping her back to reality.

"Sir?"

"Are you alright, my dear?"

"Yes, Sir. Um…I was just…"

"Perhaps you'd better repeat yourself, Albus." Poppy said, pausing at Severus' left sleeve. "It would be a good idea, since I'm about to take his left sleeve off."

"Yes, I agree with that." The Headmaster sighed. "Miss Delacour, Professor Snape is a…former Death Eater. He is presently…gathering information on the activities of the Dark Lord, information that we hope to use to defeat him. As you can see, this work can be…rather dangerous."

Marie winced as Poppy carefully pulled Severus' shirt sleeve down his arm, the blood causing the cloth to stick to his skin. As she did so, bit by bit, the brand of the Dark Mark came to light. Marie stared at it, horrified, yet fascinated all at the same time.

ooOoo

The next day, she fell asleep in her Transfiguration class, clutching her quill in her hand. She'd managed to get a bit of fitful sleep, sitting in a chair next to Professor Snape's hospital bed, holding his hand, but it wasn't enough. She opened her eyes slowly to the realization that her head was on her Transfiguration textbook, and worse yet, Professor McGonagall was standing next to her desk. Marie sat up abruptly with a gasp of shock.

The classroom was empty, save for her and the professor, who was leaning against the desk, her arms folded across her chest.

"Professor, I'm sorry." She blurted out, blushing deeply when her empty stomach growled.

"Never mind, dear." McGonagall said gently, patting her shoulder. "I know you must be exhausted. Poppy told me you were in the Hospital wing most all night, working with her."

"Yes, ma'am. It…it was pretty bad. I-" Abruptly she put her hand to her mouth, afraid she'd said too much.

"What was bad?" Minerva asked, frowning. "She told me that you were working on some healing charms with her, and you both lost track of the time. What happened? Did something go wrong?"

Marie froze, her eyes widening, certain that she'd given it away.

"Ah, there you are, my dear girl." Headmaster Dumbledore said, walking into the classroom. "Not to worry, Professor McGonagall, Marie was helping Poppy with a special project I assigned to her. I need for you to come to my office for a moment, Marie."

"Yes, Sir." Marie nodded, collecting her books and putting them in her bag. "Has something happened?"

"No, not really." Dumbledore smiled gently. "It's just that your parents are here, my dear, to confer with me about your…situation."

The book bag slid out of Marie's hands, hitting the floor with a muted clunk. Suddenly, her ravenous hunger had given way to nausea.

ooOoo

"I wish to remove my daughter from this school."

Dumbledore smiled indulgently at Marcel Delacour as he sat on the couch next to his wife, Helene. Marie's father was obviously agitated enough for both of them, however, Helene seemed quite relaxed, giving Marcel a tolerant smile. Marie sat in an armchair near the fireplace, her feet pulled up underneath her, wrapped in a wool blanket. Her nails were nearly bitten to the quick.

"I fear that would be quite unwise, Monsieur Delacour." The Headmaster said, picking up his dish of candy. "Lemon drop?"

"No thank you, Headmaster." Marcel snapped irritably, his face quite red by now. "I do not care that the school year is not yet finished, we are taking Marie home today."

They had been at this for several hours, with dinner delivered by the house elves, the meal only serving to act as a break in the argument. Marie had eaten virtually nothing, despite the encouragement of both the Headmaster and her parents. She wasn't certain that she would keep what little food she'd eaten down for long.

_It's been nearly 10 hours since I touched him_, Marie thought uneasily, realizing it wouldn't be long till she needed to again. _We need to end this quickly, or I'm going to floo to the Hospital wing by myself, even if they try to stop me._

"What's wrong with her?" Marcel asked, a note of concern in his voice as he looked over at his daughter. He rose from his chair and went over to where she was sitting near the fireplace. Marie was curled into a ball in the armchair, the wool blanket wrapped tightly around her as she shivered, her eyes on the container of floo powder on the mantel.

"Marie? Ma chérie?" He said, repeating himself several times until she looked at him. "Marie, are you alright? Are you cold?"

"I'm sorry about this, Papa." She whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble…"

"I am not angry with you, ma bichette." He said softly, gently tucking a stray tendril of blonde hair behind her ear. "I am angry with the Headmaster, and this Professor Snape. They are abusing my darling-"

"That's not true, Papa." She said, pausing to grit her teeth as a particularly bad cramp came to her. "Ah…Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape have been helping me, everyone is trying to help me after this happened. So far, Professor Snape has been the only person who can help me."

"So where is this Professor Snape?" Marie's mother frowned, glancing over at Dumbledore. "Should he not be here for this meeting?"

"Professor Snape is…indisposed." Dumbledore said, with a warning glance directed at Marie. "He was injured, working in his private potions lab yesterday evening, and is presently in the Hospital Wing."

"All the same, we are taking Marie with us, Headmaster Dumbledore." Marcel said, turning to look at the Headmaster defiantly. "We will take her to the best Healers, and we will find what is ailing her so she may be cured."

"Monsieur Delacour, I must advise against such a thing." Dumbledore said, folding his hands in front of him on his desk as he leaned forward.

"Nonsense. Helene, get our coats." Marie's father snapped, getting up from where he knelt next to his daughter. "We are leaving-"

He was interrupted by an ear-piercing shriek that came from his daughter as she fell to the floor by the fireplace, writhing in agony. Iridescent floo powder spilled from her hand, sparkling motes drifting upward as some of it contacted the flames.

"I feared this might happen." Dumbledore sighed, rising from his seat. Taking out his wand, he pointed it at Marie and murmured a few words in Latin while making a quite intricate motion with his wand. Instantly, she was quiet and still, tangled in a heap in the blanket on the rug, only an infrequent twitch showing her pain. With another wave of his wand, Marie rose until she floated about three feet above the floor, hovering between them.

"Follow me, please." The Headmaster said, taking some floo powder and tossing it into the fireplace. "Hospital Wing."

ooOoo

_Muffled voices, seeping through the fog of unconsciousness._

"She's waking up."

_Poppy's voice, close by. She was in the Hospital Wing._

"About time. Marie, can you hear us?"

Slowly, Marie opened her eyes, with great effort. She was in the hospital wing, lying on a bed that had been pushed over next to the one where Professor Snape lay unconscious, with her fingers entwined in his. She looked around her, sitting up partly, to see her parents get up, where they had been sitting with Headmaster Dumbledore over by the door. Her mother came over to her, leaning across Professor Snape to brush her daughter's unruly blonde hair from her eyes.

"Ma chérie, are you feeling better?" She said, her eyes dark with concern as she tucked Marie's hair behind her ear.

"Oui, Mama." Marie whispered hoarsely, and then coughed, clearing her throat. "Can I have some water? I am so thirsty."

"Of course, darling." Her mother conjured a glass and filled it with her wand, then held it to her mouth.

Marie drank carefully, pausing only once.

"How do you feel?" Helene asked softly, _vanishing_ the glass.

"Exhausted, Mama." Marie sighed wearily, "I can hardly keep my eyes open."

"Rest, then."

Nodding sleepily, Marie laid back down with a yawn, closing her eyes. Within minutes, she was fast asleep, still clutching Severus' hand tightly in hers.

"As you can see," Headmaster Dumbledore said quietly, "physical contact with Professor Snape seems to be the only thing that can alleviate her symptoms. It seems that it has something to do with the accidental contamination of the potion with a hair from Professor Snape, though we're at a loss so far to say why."

"So, this potion that the girl slipped to Marie," Marcel said, a touch of anger in his voice, "it was intended to turn her into an ugly hag?"

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded. "Due to the contamination, and other faults with the making of the potion, it did not have the desired effect. Instead, we have this…chills, cramping pain, sleepwalking-and the effects do not seem to be wearing off. If anything, she seems to be getting worse."

"I know of this Snape quite well," Marie's father scowled. "He is very well known to us in the Ministry as a Death Eater-"

"Former Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour." Dumbledore corrected him.

"He still bears the Dark Mark, Headmaster. So this man, this 'former' follower of the Dark Lord, my daughter has to touch him in order to not suffer? This is outrageous! We must find a cure immediately!"

"I fear, Monsieur, that it will not be that easy."

"Professor Snape is not the only potions master around, you know! We will make arrangements—"

"Marcel." Helene said firmly, looking sharply at her husband. "Stop it. Right this instant."

Marcel began to protest, but something in his wife's eyes caused him to stop.

"You know what my grandmother was." Helene said softly, sitting on the bed next to Marie, one hand resting on her daughter protectively. "We must be cautious here. If the potion did not have the desired effect, it could have been due to Marie having Veela blood. While most potions are quite safe, there are some that might not be, and if the potion was made as poorly as you say, it could be very bad for her."

"Madame Delacour," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes grave, "We are doing everything we possibly can to help your daughter."

ooOoo

When she opened her eyes again, he was watching her.

"I told you not to come." Professor Snape whispered hoarsely, his voice nearly inaudible.

"I couldn't help it." Marie said softly, tears springing to her eyes. "I went to your room, you were not there-"

"And I told you not to stay if I wasn't there."

He said it with no anger in his voice, as if he were not scolding her.

"I'm glad that you are not hurt too badly." She said, before she could stop herself, clapping one hand to her mouth, eyes widening, expecting him to become angry with her.

Instead he just sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

"No one is more glad of that than I, Miss Delacour." Severus said weakly. "I take it that we are in the Hospital Wing?"

"Yes, Sir." She nodded.

"And Poppy arranged it so you could sleep close enough to me to touch me, to alleviate your pain."

"Yes, Sir." For a moment, Marie hesitated. "Um, Sir…?"

"Yes?"

"My parents were here yesterday." She said uneasily, biting her lip. "They…they want to take me out of school, to take me back to London. The Headmaster, I think he talked them out of it, but-"

"Wonderful." He sighed, shifting in his bed with a grimace of pain. "I told the Headmaster this whole thing was a bad idea."

"My mother told him they would not interfere, Sir." Marie said softly. "Papa didn't like it, but Mama told him that we would have to stay together, at least until you find a cure."

He frowned deeply, and then abruptly tried to sit up, only to flop back down on the bed with a hiss of pain, closing his eyes.

"Professor Snape!" Marie cried, rising from her bed to lean over him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." He said, gritting his teeth as he struggled to rise. "I need to get to my lab, to…work on a cure for you. I'm wasting valuable time lying up here in a hospital bed."

By now, she was hovering over him, her hands on his shoulders.

"No, Sir." She said, setting her jaw stubbornly. "You're not getting up. You're hurt."

"I beg your pardon?" He said, incredulous. "Did you, a student, just tell me, 'no'?"

"I did." Marie said, trembling slightly. She pushed her nervousness aside. "If you try to get up, I'll ring the call bell for Poppy. I mean it. I don't care if you take points or give me detention."

Slowly, a crooked smile spread across Professor Snape's face. Marie was so surprised that she took her hands off his shoulders for a moment. With a smirk, he sat up, making it nearly halfway.

"Oh, no, you don't." She snapped angrily, regaining her composure. Putting her hands back on his shoulders, she moved over to his bed so she could better prevent him from getting up. Panting with the effort, she glared down at him.

"You're too badly hurt to get up just yet." Marie scolded him, her face mere inches from his. "I was here when you got back…from whatever it was that you were up to. I helped Poppy patch you up, and I'm not about to allow you to get up before you heal. You lost a lot of blood-"

"You were here when I returned?" He sputtered, his face reddening with fury. "I told you not to—"

"I didn't exactly have much choice." She shot back, her anger for once overriding her fear of him. "Poppy dragged me up here to the Hospital Wing to help her. Now, I will not have you tearing open all of the cuts that I had to spend nearly an hour stitching up! Is that clear?"

For a long moment, they glared at each other, neither willing to budge. Bright blue eyes staring down dark brown ones, neither willing to give an inch.

Finally, Severus broke the stalemate.

"Miss Delacour."

"Yes, Sir?"

"You are a pain."

"Thank you, Sir." She smirked.

"What I mean is, you are hurting me." He sighed, closing his eyes. "Also, I badly need to piss, if you don't mind. I'd really like it better if you were not sitting on my bladder, as pleasant as it might be otherwise."

Marie slowly blushed crimson, removing her hands from his shoulders and getting off of him. Reaching over to her bed, she rang the call bell.

After a few minutes, Poppy came bustling in.

"Is everything alright, dear?" She blinked in surprise. "Oh! Severus, I see you're awake."

"Obviously." He sneered, drawing out every single syllable in the word. "Might it be possible for a gentleman in your fine establishment to somehow use the loo?"

"Of course, Severus." Poppy said, with a touch of sarcasm. "All you need to do is call a house elf. Merlin knows, you've been a patient here enough times to know that."

ooOoo

Three days later, Poppy unwillingly allowed Severus to return to his abode in the dungeons, after Headmaster Dumbledore pointed out that he needed his potions professor back. For the most part, things seemed to return to normal, though Marie immediately noticed some subtle changes. Snape seemed to be just as churlish and menacing in the classroom, often pointing out mistakes she made with her potions work with a bit of petty glee, but he was silent and aloof outside it, barely speaking to her at all.

He was a completely different person when they were alone together in the evenings before bed; polite, friendly, and even somewhat open to conversation on a number of topics. While Severus would simply change the subject if the discussion got too personal, he did reveal more of himself and his life than she suspected most students knew. However, Marie made the mistake of asking about Harry Potter's parents once—and only once, after he clammed up and refused to speak to her for three days straight.

_There's something to that_, she thought, glancing furtively over her Transfiguration text book at him.

Feeling her gaze, he looked up at her from his book, raising an eyebrow. Marie blushed, ducking behind her textbook.

_He always catches me lately_, she thought, struggling to concentrate on her reading. _It's almost as if…we can sense each other's gaze. As if…oh, Merlin…the dreams…does he know?_

She raised her head back up, a rising feeling of uneasiness sweeping over her as she dared once again to look over at him. Snape was looking hard at her, with an expression of curiosity mixed with confusion.

_Legilimency_, she realized, feeling the familiar pressure probing at her, yet failing to find entry to her mind. _ He's trying to use it on me, and it's not working. Or he's sensing something different about me…_

Her eyes widened, and her textbook slipped out of her hand to hit the floor with a clunk. Suddenly, she felt as if she could not breathe, and was only dimly aware that Severus was speaking to her. Suddenly it came to her, her blood seeming to pound in her ears like hammers on an anvil.

_Grandmother…_

"Excuse me, Sir," Marie blurted out, fleeing to the loo. Slamming the door behind her and locking it, she barely made it to the toilet before she was violently sick.

ooOoo

Two days later, she was walking down the hallway near the library, when she met one of her housemates, Luna Lovegood. At first, Marie thought that she would pass by, but she instead stopped in front of Marie, blocking her path.

"Excuse me, Marie." Luna said softly. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am." Marie sighed. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to take these books back to the library…"

"I was just wondering why you skipped Potions class yesterday." Luna said, crossing her arms. "And the day before, too. Is Snape picking on you again?"

"I don't want to discuss it, Lovegood." Marie snapped, moving to go around the younger witch, only to find her way blocked by Luna putting her arm out, her palm flat on the stone wall.

"May I pass?" Marie said, struggling to control her temper.

"Of course." Luna said, taking her arm down. "I'm just worried about you. Ever since that business with Eugenia, you've been acting rather oddly. Especially around Professor Snape. What is going on between you two, anyway?"

"Nothing. He's just being the normal irritating git that he usually is, just as he is with everyone. I'm not getting any special treatment."

"That's why I'm worried, Marie. He seems to be so much harsher on you in class, but he's really not. I can tell it's just an act, just by the way he looks at you. It's rather strange. He's not…doing things to you, is he?"

"I…No!" Marie cried, horrified. "I…I really have to go, Luna."

Slipping past the younger witch, she fled down the hall as fast as she could, returning the books to the library forgotten. When she finally stopped running, panting and completely out of breath, she found herself at the top of the Astronomy Tower. Collapsing to sit on the cold stone floor, Marie leaned weakly against the wall, closing her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she waited until the pain passed, releasing a shaky sigh of relief when it finally abated to a tolerable level.

_I need to go see him tonight_, she sighed. _Two days is about how long I can stand the pain by myself, and I'm nearly at the limits of what I can bear. But I'm afraid to be with him now._

_The dreams_, she thought with a shudder, dropping her books to cradle her head in her hands miserably. _Oh, Merlin, the dreams. They're worse than ever now, especially now that I've been avoiding him. 'Doing things to me', Luna? It's not like I don't want him to…_

ooOoo

April 15, 1995, about 3 a.m. ~

A half-second later, and it would have been entirely too late.

Snape had drowsily opened his eyes to find Marie crouched above him, kissing him passionately. As he became more awake, he realized that he was not dreaming of something warm and moist caressing his cock; the reality of the situation was that she nearly had him lined up to penetrate her. In a sudden panic, he realized that Marie was just one hard push away from her deflowering. Uttering a most profane oath, he took hold of himself to prevent it, roughly pushing her off of him. With an indignant yelp, she rolled off of the bed, landing hard on the cold stone floor.

"Miss Delacour!" He snapped, struggling to pull his pajamas back up and cover himself. "Have you gone mad?!"

Lighting the candle on his bedside table, he got out of bed and went over to where she lay huddled on the floor. Her nightgown was still hiked up past her hips. Blushing, Severus kept his eyes up so he would not see, accioing a blanket from the bed and covering the young witch.

"Now, see here, Miss Delacour…" He began, and then stopped as she turned to look up at him.

She blinked slowly, as if she were having trouble focusing on him. Sitting up, she blushed, glancing around herself.

"Professor Snape?" She said hesitantly, her blue eyes wide, confusion on her face. "Why am I on the floor? Did I fall out of bed?"

Her blush deepened abruptly as she tugged her nightgown down to cover herself.

"Where did my panties go?" She blurted out.

ooOoo

"This is most puzzling." Headmaster Dumbledore said quietly. "She was not successful?"

Severus sat across from him on the couch, a glass of firewhiskey in unsteady hands, his eyes firmly on the floor.

"No." Severus said quietly, shivering slightly as he took a sip of the fiery liquor. "Half a second later, and she would have been. I almost didn't wake in time to stop her."

"And when she…came to, she had no recollection of what had happened?"

"None whatsoever. She slept the rest of the night without incident, then got up, got ready for her classes, and left. She acted as if nothing had happened at all."

"If I may ask, where did you spend the rest of the night?"

"Next to the bed, in a chair that I conjured up." Severus snapped irritably. "Do you think I'd be foolish enough to be in the bed with her after that? Albus, I warned you that something like this might happen. The girl is one-quarter Veela, after all."

"So, you have been up all night."

"I was. I didn't dare go back to sleep after that."

"So, at some time during the night, she removed her panties and your pajamas, got you…um, ready, and attempted to have intercourse with you?"

"Yes." Severus snapped, his voice unsteady. "I've already told you once, and I don't really care to repeat it. It's bad enough that it happened at all. Thus, my resignation, Headmaster."

He'd cancelled his classes for the day after Marie left, and then headed straight to the Headmaster's office. At this point, he was on his second glass of firewhiskey, and Dumbledore seemed inclined to keep refilling his glass. The Headmaster didn't seem angry, but his blue eyes were dark with concern as he studied his Potions Master. Dumbledore tapped a parchment on his desk with one finger, frowning.

"You know that I won't accept this." The Headmaster said, eyeing the younger wizard soberly as he drained his glass.

"I figured as much." Snape sighed, and then drained his glass.

Dumbledore took out his wand and refilled the glass with firewhiskey, then tossed the parchment up in the air, muttering '_incendio'_. The parchment burst into flames, falling onto the desk as ashes, which the Headmaster promptly _vanished_.

"The rune on your palm, have you managed to find anything on it yet?"

"No." Snape said, taking another sip of firewhiskey. "Nothing anywhere. I have been through every book related to runes in both my private library and the school library, as well as consulted with every expert in the field. I have yet to find any information on it. It's driving me mad, Albus."

"Take a personal day, Severus." Dumbledore said quietly. "Get some rest, if you can."

ooOoo

April 16, 1995, 9 a.m. ~

"You sent for me, Headmaster?" Snape said, stepping into the Headmaster's office.

"Yes, come in, Severus." Dumbledore said, rising from his desk. Snape walked in, glancing over toward the couch.

_Oh, bloody hell_, he thought, abruptly feeling rather nauseous and struggling to keep it from showing in his expression.

Helene Delacour sat there, eyeing him speculatively.

"Bonjour, Professor Snape." She smiled, nodding to him politely.

"Bonjour…Madame Delacour." He replied, glancing nervously at the Headmaster. "This is quite…an unexpected surprise."

"Sit down here, Professor Snape." Helene said, patting the couch next to her. "You poor man, you look utterly exhausted."

Warily, Severus passed by her, choosing instead to sit in an armchair well out of reach. Helene frowned, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Severus, no need to be so unfriendly." Dumbledore smiled. "Would you care for some firewhiskey?"

"Headmaster, are you aware of what…this witch is?" Snape hissed, eyeing Marie's mother uneasily.

"One-half Veela, correct, Madame?" The Headmaster said, glancing at Helene, who nodded genially. "Rest assured, Severus, Madame Delacour is not actively using her…charms right now."

"I'm here to see if I can help," Helene said gently, "with my daughter's problem, Professor Snape."

"What's this all about, then?" Severus asked carefully.

"I came to see if I could help you with the rune you were researching." She smiled. "May I see it?"

He glanced at the Headmaster, who frowned at him, as if to say _get on with it._ With a sigh, Snape held his left hand out to Helene, palm up. She leaned over, examining it closely, her brows furrowed in concentration.

Abruptly she sat back up, her smile gone from her face, replaced by a grim expression.

"Professor…" She said quietly, looking hard at Snape, "Has Marie done anything…unusual lately?"

Snape nervously glanced at the Headmaster.

"I have told her nothing, Severus." Dumbledore said gently. "Tell her what you feel she needs to know."

"I…she awakened me this morning, around three." Severus said hesitantly, his eyes shifting from Madame Delacour to the Headmaster, then back again. "She…"

_I feel as if I'm about to cut my own throat_, he thought in despair, his face an impassive mask.

"Go on, Professor." Helene said gently.

Severus sighed.

"She was…in a state of…need." He said, squirming uncomfortably under the level gaze of Helene's blue eyes. "I…awakened just in time to preserve…her chastity. Madame Delacour, I have tendered my resignation to the Headmaster, and I extend my humblest apologies…"

"Never mind that." Helene said dismissively, impatiently leaning toward him. "Was there anything unusual about her behavior? Did she seem herself?"

"No…she…she actually seemed," Severus said softly, "to be in a trance of some kind. When she came out of it, she had no recollection of what had happened, or why. She was disoriented, as if she had just awakened."

Helene turned to the Headmaster, her expression grave.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I need to speak with my daughter, in private." She said, pursing her lips in thought. "Also, I will need to speak to Madame Pomphrey. Professor Snape, I will speak with you more on this later."

ooOoo

April 16, 1995, 11:30 p.m. London~

"This is madness. Madness, I say!"

"It must be done, Marcel." Helene Delacour said quietly, turning toward her husband in their bed. "I don't see any alternative at this point."

"She is but sixteen years old!"

"She will be seventeen in less than a month."

"There is nothing we can do? Surely, we can remove this…curse."

"Marcel, do you remember my mother?" Helene said softly. "Do you remember what happened to her after my father was lost, taken in the First Wizarding War?"

He said nothing, looking away from her.

"She is bonded to him, Marcel." She said, sitting up in the bed to look down at him. "Her Veela blood has reacted somehow with that…potion that awful girl gave to her, and now she has bonded with Professor Snape. Neither of them wants this, but they are bonded, until the bond is somehow broken…and it is unto death."

"I don't have to like this, Helene." He sighed, swiping tears from his eyes angrily. "She is…our only child. I hate to see her with…with such a horrible man. He was a Death Eater, and for all we know, he might still be a Death Eater!"

"Death Eater or not," She said gently, cupping his face in her hands, "He is marked as hers. It is out of our hands now."

ooOoo

April 20, 1995, 8:20 a.m. ~

"Slut."

The word echoed in the hallway behind her, amplified by a _sonorous_ charm. Someone hidden in the shadows of an alcove giggled. Marie spun around to glare behind her for her tormentor, but saw nothing but an empty hallway. She'd left her Transfiguration book in Severus' sitting room, and had to excuse herself from Professor Flitwick's class to go get it.

"I have to assign you detention," Professor Flitwick had said to her, almost apologetically, "for being unprepared for class, dear."

"I understand, Sir." Marie had nodded, taking the hall pass from him.

She had run straight to the dungeons, then slipped into Professor Snape's private quarters through the Potions classroom, which had been empty. As she left, she glanced at the door, and spotting a note tacked there, rose on her tiptoes to read it.

_Classes this morning are cancelled. Classes this afternoon will be as scheduled. –Professor Snape._

Marie frowned, reading the note again.

_I wonder what he is doing this morning_, she mused, turning from the door of the Potions classroom and starting down the hallway.

It was then that she'd heard the ugly word, and now Marie glared into the distance, trying to discern if someone were using _disillusionment_ to conceal themselves. For the past few weeks, someone had been harassing her constantly; nothing she could go to the Headmaster or her Head of House with, as she could never seem to catch the perpetrators, but she was at the point where she'd had about enough of it.

Marie reached into her robe pocket to draw her wand, determined to catch them in the act. Just as she began to make the wand motion, three Slytherin girls appeared before her, wands drawn.

"_Stupefy!_" A tall auburn haired girl said from behind her, smirking as Marie's eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed, unconscious.

Nudging the unconscious Ravenclaw with her foot, the Slytherin leaned down and spat in her face.

"We'll teach you to mess with our head of house, you whore." She said, nodding to the other girls. "Take her in there. You there, ward the door once we're in."

As the other girls floated Marie away, the auburn haired girl picked up Marie's wand, tucking it into her robe pocket with a satisfied smirk.

ooOoo

"You're mad." Snape snarled, pacing in front of the fireplace in the Headmaster's office.

"I wish that were true." Helene Delacour said softly as she sat on the couch watching him.

Headmaster Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully, paying little mind to the angry Potions Professor as he considered what they had just been told.

"What happens if I refuse?" Severus said defiantly, stopping to glare down at her.

"I…I don't know." Helene said. "But I hope you consider carefully. My daughter's life could depend on it, Professor."

As he stood there, Snape slowly shook his head, as if trying to clear it.

"Albus, please!" He begged, turning to the Headmaster. "This kind of thing is completely inappropriate! I cannot in good conscience have…sexual relations with a student, no matter what the circumstances!"

"I understand how you feel, Severus," Dumbledore sighed, "But you heard Madam Delacour. The rune marks you as Marie's mate, according to ancient Veela custom."

"It's a mistake, then." Snape snapped, shooting a glare at Helene. "That thrice-dammed abomination of a potion has influenced her selection somehow, and as I said, I cannot abide this. I refuse to do it."

"What?" Helene said, her eyes widening.

"I refuse to sleep with your daughter any longer." Snape hissed. "We will concentrate on brewing a potion to alleviate her symptoms. I also refuse to have sex with her, under any circumstances. Contrary to what some people believe about me, I do still have some ethics that I still strive to live by."

"Professor Snape, please reconsider!"

Helene's pleading was interrupted by a _pop_ as Winky, Severus' house elf, appeared in the middle of the room. Ignoring the other two people in the room, the house elf turned to her master, grabbing him by the hand.

"Master Severus, you must come to Slytherin girl's loo now!" The house elf shouted, "Miss Marie, she is in trouble!"

With a _pop_, they vanished.

ooOoo

He was kneeling; holding her upright as he gently cleaned her face with a damp flannel. Four students lay on the floor unconscious; while a fifth Slytherin girl cowered by the sinks, her terrified eyes fixed on her head of house. Headmaster Dumbledore entered the room, followed by Madam Delacour and Poppy, shaking his head at the broken sink and the water covering the floor.

"What happened, Professor Snape?" The Headmaster asked, lifting his robes to keep them out of the water.

"It appears that Miss Delacour was ambushed," Severus hissed, shooting the girl by the sinks a glare, "By these five members of my house. They bound her, dragged her into the loo, and proceeded to torment her at length, smearing her with…mud and paint, and…teasing her. I subdued them."

Marie was trembling, clutching his arm, her eyes tightly closed as she sobbed into his chest. Poppy went to her, kneeling beside her to examine her for injuries.

"Miss Stewart, is this true?" Dumbledore said, looking sternly at the frightened Slytherin girl.

"I…I…" She stammered, glancing fearfully at her Head of House.

"Answer the Headmaster, and truthfully, Miss Stewart." Snape growled, pinning her to the wall with his black eyes. "Tell him…everything. Do…not…lie or you will answer to me for it."

"Y-yes, Sir." Miss Stewart nodded nervously. "We…we caught her in the dungeons, Headmaster, she…she was coming out of Professor Snape's private quarters. Victoria Bannon said that she…shouldn't be down here. Emily Spinks cast _stupefy_ on her, then bound her, and then we…"

"Go on, dear." Dumbledore prodded gently.

"Well, they woke her up and started teasing her, Sir." The girl said, glancing from Snape to the Headmaster. "They…I didn't do anything, Sir! I just kept watch-"

"You aided your housemates in an assault on another student." Snape sneered. "You should be expelled for this. Whether or not that happens depends on you."

Faintly, he heard Marie whisper something.

"What did you say?" Severus said gently.

"They saw me leaving your rooms." Marie whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. "They…they called me…a whore."

ooOoo

April 21, 1995, 7 a.m. ~

"Professor Snape?"

Wearily, he raised his head to look at Helene Delacour, who stood in the doorway. Marie was still sound asleep in one of the beds in the Hospital Wing, after Poppy had demanded that she at least spend the night there, for observation. Her injuries hadn't been that severe, but Marie had been quite upset by the assault, and quite reluctant to allow Severus out of her sight for even a moment. He was sitting next to Marie, with his head on his arms as she clutched one of his arms to herself, and had been fitfully dozing when her mother walked in.

"Yes?" He said, his voice nearly devoid of emotion. He felt completely drained and badly wanted have a bit more sleep, even if it was only a nap in his chair.

Helene walked over to the bed, conjuring a chair to sit down on facing him, and then sat down with a weary sigh.

"Professor, you know both of us, Apolline and I." She said quietly. "Did you know our parents?"

"Henri and Marianne Besson." Severus said, closing his eyes.

"You knew him?"

"I knew of him." He said quietly. "I never met him. I've read all of his books, still have most all of them in my personal library. He was…he inspired me to pursue a career as a potions master."

"So you know what happened to him."

"I…only know that he disappeared." Snape said, looking at her. "That he was…lost, during the war."

"I last saw my father on October 15, 1971." Helene said softly, tears welling up in her eyes at the memory. "He took my sister and I to school, kissed us goodbye, and…I never saw him again. There…we had a memorial service, but…his body was never found."

"I'm sorry." He said earnestly, looking down at his hands.

"Thank you." She said, dabbing at her eyes with her hanky. "I…I appreciate it."

After a long, somewhat uncomfortable silence, she finally spoke again.

"I know that you are just as much a victim of that girl's attack on Marie as my daughter is. I know that you did not want this to happen, Professor Snape."

He just nodded politely.

"You have been put in a most uncomfortable situation." Helene went on. "I am truly sorry about that. But as her mother, I must point out…that while you are not my first choice of…a mate for my daughter, I cannot question her judgement on this."

"Her judgement? I don't see how this could be possible." He said warily. "If she chose a…mate, as you put it, she was under the influence of that potion, and surely Veela custom allows for such a thing to be nullified."

"Did you attempt to remove the rune?" She asked.

"Yes, and it hurt like Hades to try it." Snape hissed. "This dammed rune has been a pain ever since it appeared on my hand. It awakens me in the middle of the night, it burns like hellfire at times…I…I want it off, immediately."

"Professor Snape," Helene said softly, "I respect your feelings on this matter. Because you are my daughter's teacher, you feel that you cannot…consummate this bonding. I respect you for that. But I beg you to reconsider, for her sake. Her magic, it has marked you as hers. As far as I know, there is no way to remove the rune."

"I will find a cure for this, Madam Delacour." He replied curtly. "There will be no more discussion on this matter. I will not have sex with your daughter, no matter that she is of age, willing, or that we are bonded by some misguided Veela magic. That is the end of the discussion."

"I failed to finish my tale." She said, pursing her lips. "Do you know what happened to my mother, Professor Snape?"

"No."

"She died." Helene said softly, tears welling in her eyes. "It took…many years, but she…finally found peace. She fell ill only a few months after Papa went missing. Apolline and I, we did what we could for her, but…it…"

She drew in a shuddering breath, pressing the hanky firmly against her eyes as if she could force the tears to stop. Biting her lip, she forced herself to breathe, to calm down. To somehow find a way to persuade this stubborn man to save her daughter.

Severus sat silently, watching her dab at her eyes once more. After a brief struggle to compose herself, Helene continued.

"Promise me, Professor Snape," She whispered urgently, "Promise me that you will be careful. I know that the Dark Lord has returned. If you were to die…I fear for my daughter."

"I promise I will be careful." Snape nodded, concealing the whirlwind of conflicting emotions within him behind a solid wall of occlumency.

ooOoo

He sat silently in the hospital room, staring out the window at the raindrops trickling down the glass panes, long after Madam Delacour had left.

_So it seems, I must consummate this bonding._

_To do so may give her some form of more permanent relief._

_To do so will put her in mortal danger from the Dark Lord._

_To do so will give him a powerful lever to control me with, should he find out about her._

_To do so will violate any shred of decency and ethics I cling to._

_This whole farce is a violation of her free will, a twisted and sick warping of Veela ritual and custom._

_This is completely insane._

_I cannot in good conscience expose her to such danger, to take her as mine. _

_She deserves to have a better man than me, to have a better life than I can offer her._

_My days are numbered, as it is, _he thought bitterly. _No need to drag another innocent soul down with me._

Sighing deeply, he sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes.

_I'm so tired of being manipulated by everyone._

"Professor Snape?"

Taking his hand down, he looked over at the bed. Marie was awake, her blue eyes dark with concern.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"Alright, just a bit tired. Sir, you look exhausted."

Unable to think of anything to say, he simply nodded wearily.

"Thank you for…rescuing me, Sir." Marie murmured softly, closing her eyes.

ooOoo

April 23, 1995~

She was sitting on the couch, worrying her lower lip between her teeth, watching him out of the corner of her eye as she pretended to read her Advanced Transfiguration textbook. Rain pattered gently on the windowpanes as the fire crackled and popped in the fireplace, while across the room the grandfather clock steadily marked time with its swinging pendulum. He'd only moved once all evening, to rewind and check the setting on the grandfather clock. Once he'd closed the door on the front of the clock, carrying a thick old book, he settled into his armchair after picking up a bottle of firewhiskey and a glass.

"To bed, Miss Delacour." He said, glancing over at her as he poured two fingers of the golden liquor into the glass. "You have school tomorrow."

"Are you coming with me?" She asked. "You have to teach, Sir."

"Not yet."

"Will you sleep in the bed with me?"

"No." He said, looking down at the floor. "I will sit next to the bed…so you may hold my hand to have your…contact, but I will not get into the bed with you."

She let slip a sigh of frustration, marking her place and walking off to the bedroom, quietly fuming under her breath. Taking her time getting ready for bed, she slid between the green flannel sheets and closed her eyes, alone.

She didn't think she could sleep, but found herself awakened by something. When she tried to light the candle by the bedside, she could not; it had burned out while she waited for Severus to come to bed. Lighting the tip of her wand, she rummaged around in his bedside table for another candle and put it in the holder, then lit it. By his old Muggle alarm clock, it was nearly one in the morning.

Puzzled, she went down the short hallway to the sitting room. He was sitting in his armchair, fast asleep, his book cradled in his hands. As she approached him, his face contorted as if in agony, and he let out a low moan as a shudder passed through his body.

_That's about enough of this_, Marie thought to herself, steeling herself and approaching him. She knelt in front of him, placing her hands gently on his.

"Professor Snape." She said, gently, but firmly. "Wake up, Sir."

He jumped, his eyes snapping open and looking wildly around the room before settling on her. He was gasping for breath as if he'd just run several miles, trembling under her hands.

"Miss Delacour." He whispered hoarsely. "You should be in bed."

"So should you, Sir." Marie said, looking up at him. "Not in a chair, but in the bed with me. Please, Sir. I know that you don't trust me, but you need to sleep."

Trembling, he shook his head.

Marie frowned, her blue eyes darkening. She reached down, taking his hand, and tugged gently.

"Come on." She said. After a few more tugs, Severus got up, dropping the book on the seat of his armchair. Reluctantly, he followed her to the bedroom.

He offered only token resistance as she took his robes off, even allowing her to take his white shirt off, but stopping her when she put her hand on the waistband of his trousers.

"Don't." He rasped. "Please don't."

"Then you dress yourself for bed." Marie said, taking her hand away. "But you need to change into proper pajamas, not sleep in your clothing. You need to rest."

He picked up his pajamas, and shuffled off to the bathroom. After a few minutes, he returned to find her sitting on the bed waiting on him.

"I…I could transfigure a cot…" He began, his voice wavering slightly.

"No, you won't." Marie said, patting the bed on his side. "Get into bed."

He shook his head again, though he didn't move away. With an irritated sigh, she got up, moving around to him, gently taking his arm to pull him toward the bed.

"Professor, please come to bed." She pleaded. "You're exhausted. You need to sleep."

"No." He whispered, his voice weak and shaky as he put a hand on her shoulder in a feeble attempt to ward her off. Leading him to the bed, she gently turned him around and pushed him back, causing him to sit down on the bed.

"We can't do this." Severus said, looking up at her, his eyes pleading with her. "It's wrong. It wasn't your free choice…you are far too young…"

"It wasn't, that is true." She nodded. "But it is done. According to my mother, we have no choice now."

"No." He whispered, hanging his head, his cheeks burning with shame. "Please…"

"Yes." Marie said gently, pulling his head to her bosom, stroking his hair as if he were a frightened child, caught in the grip of a nightmare.

"No." Severus whispered faintly. "Miss Delacour…"

"My name is Marie." She whispered, lowering her head to place a gentle kiss on the top of his head, lingering for a moment to drink the smell of him in. "Say it."

_Cedar, mint, bay rum, and wool_, she mused, closing her eyes in pleasure. _Mine._

"Miss…"

"Marie, Professor." She said, a bit more firmly. "Call me Marie."

"Miss Delacour…" Severus whispered, trembling as his eyes filled with tears. "…things like this…they aren't supposed to happen. It's wrong. You are far too young…"

"Shush, Professor." Marie said, gently brushing hair from his eyes. "Marie. My name is Marie. Say it."

"M-Marie…" He said, looking up at her, tears spilling down his cheeks. "Do not call me Professor. I…no longer deserve that."

"Severus." She said softly, and then lowered her lips to his.

ooOoo

She awoke that morning with his head on her shoulder, her arms around him as he slept, his breath tickling her neck slightly.

_I'm not a virgin now_, she thought, shifting her legs slightly and wincing. _The bond is complete._

_So what now?_

She lay there in the bed for a long time, listening to the sounds of the castle, to his steady breathing as he lay close to her in the bed, just savoring the warmth of his skin against hers. Severus shifted slightly in his sleep, his hand curling around her waist, pulling himself closer to her. For a moment, he frowned, and then relaxed with a breathy sigh as she gently stroked his hair.

_He's so starved for affection,_ she sighed, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. _I've never known someone like this, who flinches at the slightest physical contact, as if he's been beaten. He's so shy, so bitter, so withdrawn…so desperately lonely._

_And now, we are bonded. According to what Mama told me, the bond cannot be broken. That there are things about it long forgotten, unknown even to Veela today, which are not fully understood._

_I'm afraid now, for him._

_Odd that now I know what he's doing; I feel no fear for myself, only for him._

_He was my professor; how surreal is this, that he is now my lover?_

_I wish I could take this burden away from him._

_I want to run away with him, far away, where the Dark Lord would never find us._

_Silly of me to dream of such a thing._

_He will stand and fight. He'll try to keep me safe, to keep all of us safe. He's like that._

_He might die._

_I…will end up like grandmother. _The thought of it made her shiver slightly, remembering the stories her mother had told her about her grandparents.

_I have to find some way to keep him alive. How can I protect him?_

_He must live._

_He must._

_I don't think I could bear it if he dies._

_I must…protect him, somehow. But what can I do?_

As she lay there watching his face, slowly, his eyes fluttered open, gradually focusing on her.

"Good morning." She said gently.

"Good…good morning." Severus said hesitantly, looking as if he wanted to flee.

"Did you sleep well?" Marie asked him, giving him a hug. "I slept very well."

"I…yes, I slept well." He replied.

"I need to go to the loo." She whispered, and then slipped out of the bed. It amused her that he averted his eyes from her nakedness, and she had to stifle a giggle.

ooOoo

April 25, 1995~

"So it is done." Not a question, but a statement.

"Yes." Severus said wearily, slumped in an armchair in the Headmaster's office.

"You look tired, my boy." Dumbledore said gently, waving to the house elf to bring some coffee.

Snape nodded, rubbing his eyes.

"How do you feel?"

"As if I have smashed a Ming vase, Albus." Snape snapped irritably, glaring at him. "I robbed her of her innocence, ruined her life…and for what? So she might have a few days without pain? You know as well as I do, Albus, how likely it is that I will survive the coming war. What will happen to her?"

"You may yet live, Severus."

"The odds are heavily against it, Headmaster."

The silence lay heavily between them for several minutes. The double agent, stressed to the limit on one side; his handler on the other, both contemplating what lay ahead for both of them.

"What do you propose to do," Albus finally said, looking at him over his spectacles, "regarding your 'other duties'? Do you think she will be in danger?"

"All of us are in danger, Headmaster." Snape sighed. "She is a pureblood, and perhaps not in as much danger compared to a Muggleborn, but her Veela blood means that she has an abundance of elemental magic. Such a thing might be tempting to him. She has yet to choose a side, though we can assume she is either neutral at worst, or against the Dark Lord."

"How is she faring?"

"Poppy has checked her on a regular basis the past two days. Seems to be doing fine, I have had no contact with her, except in the classroom, and there has been no…physical contact of any kind."

"Do you think that the bond is helping her?"

"It would seem so." Severus said, rubbing his eyes again, and then taking a sip of his coffee.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, studying his dark Potions Professor.

"What?" Severus said irritably.

"I'm just concerned about you." Dumbledore said softly. "Are you alright?"

"Of course, Headmaster." Snape hissed, his voice fairly dripping with sarcasm. "I'm having an affair with a student while I'm spying on the Dark Lord. At any given moment, my life, or my career as a Potions Master, or perhaps both, will come to a rather spectacular end. I spend most every waking hour walking a tightrope above an abyss, knowing full well that one false step could be the ruin of the Wizarding world. I'm just fine. Everything is wonderful."

"When was the last time you had a decent night's sleep?"

"It was…two days ago, I suppose."

"When you last slept with Miss Delacour." Dumbledore said, noting Severus' flinch at the mention of her name.

"It doesn't matter how well I sleep, Headmaster." Severus snapped, a bitter edge to his voice. "Only that I perform my duties. Doesn't it?"

A soft knock at the door drew their attention.

"Enter." Dumbledore called out. The door opened, and Poppy came in, closing the door gently behind herself. Snape slumped in his chair, picking up his cup and idly swirling the dregs of his coffee as he scowled into the fire.

"Headmaster. Severus." She nodded to them, walking over to the couch.

"You have news for us?" Dumbledore asked, lifting the lid on his candy dish. "Butter rum crunch?"

"No, thank you, Albus." Poppy said, sitting down and smoothing out her skirts. "I just examined Marie. She had a…episode in her sixth period Arithmancy class."

"Is she alright?" Asked the Headmaster.

"She's resting quietly now, in the Hospital Wing."

Turning to Severus, Poppy pursed her lips for a moment, as if considering how she should put things.

"Severus, I think she'll need you tonight." She said, flinching slightly when Snape glared at her. "I don't judge, Severus. I deal with my patients, and their problems. There's no need to be so hateful."

ooOoo

At exactly nine o' clock, the flames in his fireplace turned green, and Marie stepped into his sitting room, brushing ash off of her robes. He was sitting in his favorite armchair reading, with a glass of firewhiskey on the table next to him.

"Good evening, Professor…" She began, and then faltered at the sharp look he gave her. "Um, sorry. Good evening, Severus."

"Good evening…Marie." He said, softening his gaze. "I heard you had…a problem today."

"I tried to hold out as long as I could, Sir." She said, blushing. "I really did. Sorry. I…I just…"

"It's alright." He said gently, closing his book and setting it aside. "You can't help this, remember."

"I'll…just put my things in the…bedroom." She said softly, her voice nervous and unsteady.

As she passed by him, she paused to take his hand, closing her eyes for a moment as the warmth flowed through her, easing her pain. As her knees sagged underneath her, she felt his other hand on her back, guiding her as she came to rest on his lap, dropping her overnight bag. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes, blushing.

"I…I'm sorry, Sir." She stammered nervously. "I didn't mean to—"

"It's alright." He sighed. "It has been three days now, almost. I don't mind helping you."

Getting up, she went to the bedroom, feeling a bit better.

He sighed quietly, picking up the glass of firewhiskey to take a sip. He had scarcely raised it to his lips when he felt the Dark Mark on his arm begin to burn.

ooOoo

"Severus? It's almost eleven, are you coming to bed?"

Marie walked into the sitting room, frowning when she found it empty.

Then she saw the glass on the floor, the firewhiskey soaking into the Oriental rug. Her blue eyes widened, a cold terror gripping her heart.

_Merlin, he's been summoned_, she thought, struggling to calm herself down. _He usually has more warning than this. _

_What has happened? Is he in danger?_

Crossing the room to the fireplace, she took a handful of floo powder and tossed it into the flames.

"Headmaster's quarters." She said nervously, taking her wand and _vanishing_ the firewhiskey on the rug.

After a few minutes, the Headmaster's face appeared in the flames.

"Yes, Severus, what is it…" He blinked, and then smiled. "Oh, hello, Marie."

"Headmaster, he's gone." She blurted out, tucking her wand back into the pocket of her bathrobe. "He was summoned."

"Summoned?" Dumbledore said softly, his eyes widening in surprise. "Oh, dear."

"What should I do, Sir?"

"Stay there, for now. I'll notify Poppy." The Headmaster paused for a moment, and then sighed. "You may as well get dressed. I may need you to come with me."

After the Headmaster closed the connection, Marie fairly ran to the bedroom, her heart pounding. Shucking her bathrobe and nightgown, she quickly dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt, tugging an old jumper over her head. After putting on her trainers, she gathered her hair up in a single ponytail, tying it back with rubber band that she conjured.

Going back to the sitting room, she went to his favorite armchair and sat down, pulling her legs up in the chair with her.

_Please, Merlin, let him be alright. Please._

With an anxious sigh, she began to wait.

ooOoo

"Over here, Marie."

Hearing the Headmaster's voice near the edge of the clearing ahead, she began to run toward the bobbing light at the end of Dumbledore's wand. She nearly tripped over Severus, who lay on the ground, curled up in his traveling cloak. The coppery smell of blood assaulted her nostrils, bringing forth a wave of nausea that she struggled to push away.

"Is he…" She sobbed, struggling to catch her breath. "Is he…Oh, Merlin…"

"No." Dumbledore said softly, waving his wand and casting a warming charm. "He is still alive, just not breathing very deeply. I believe it is due to the cold. See if you can get him to swallow some blood-replenishment potion."

"What about pain-relieving potion?" Marie asked, fumbling through the satchel she had slung on her shoulder for the needed vials.

"I fear that they have used _Crucio_ on him…because of that, I fear that it won't do much good."

Fighting back her tears, she knelt, gently lifting his head to dribble blood-replenishment potion between his lips. He felt icy cold to her, with none of the usual warm feeling of relief washing over her body when she touched his skin. Instead, it was if she felt even worse, her pain flaring even more. Gritting her teeth against her own discomfort, she gently massaged his throat to make sure he swallowed the potion.

Dumbledore watched as she cared for him, assessing their one-sided interaction. With a sigh, he ran his wand over Severus again, carefully assessing the injuries.

"I think he's stable enough to take to the Hospital Wing." The Headmaster said gently. "Are you alright to apparate, dear? Do I need to come back to get you?"

"No, I'm fine." Marie said in an unsteady voice, her jaw set in determination. "Take him. I'll be right behind you."

ooOoo

He blinked, the morning sun painful to his eyes.

_Hospital Wing. My usual room, it appears to be._

_Good to be back home, I suppose._

_Merlin, I'm so thirsty._

He flexed his fingers, noting that his right hand seemed rather warm. As his mind slowly cleared, he realized that someone was holding his hand. With a painful effort, he turned his head to the right, squinting to see more clearly.

Marie was slumped in a chair next to his bed, her head pillowed on her arms, her fingers interlaced with his. A reddish-brown stain marred her fair skin above her brow, where she had evidently carelessly wiped her hand on it. Similar stains decorated her fingernails, as well as the light gray jumper she was wearing.

He wiggled his fingers, attempting to free his hand.

With a gasp of fright, she sat up, her blue eyes wide and terrified.

"Severus!" She gasped, and then clapped her hand to her mouth, blushing at her carelessness. "Sorry, Sir."

"It's alright." He whispered softly, his throat feeling like it had been sandpapered.

Hesitantly, she smiled at him, and then rose from her chair, looking slightly dazed, and her face turning very pale.

"Marie?" He croaked, alarmed by the expression on her face.

To his horror, her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed, sliding to the floor, her chair tipping over with a clatter. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he turned on one side, hunting for the call bell, and rang it vigorously.

ooOoo

"How is she?" Dumbledore asked, walking briskly alongside Poppy.

"Stable. Albus, the poor girl's exhausted. She fainted shortly after Severus awakened; thank Merlin, he was awake and able to ring the call bell. She hit her head on the chair when she fell, so she has a slight concussion. I also had to close up a small cut on her scalp with my wand."

"I'll need to speak to him privately, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, Albus." She replied.

The Medi-Witch pushed open the door to Severus' hospital room, holding it open for the Headmaster to enter, then left, her footsteps echoing softly in the empty hospital corridor. As a precaution, Dumbledore warded the door, and cast _muffliato_to discourage any potential eavesdropping. He went to the foot of the bed, resting his hand on the bedframe as he looked down at the occupants of the bed.

Poppy had widened the bed, and had put Marie in it, on Severus' right side, which was not as badly injured. Her face was mostly hidden by her hair, her mouth slack as she slept deeply, using his shoulder as a pillow with her hand on his bare chest. After a moment, Severus opened his eyes.

"Hello…Albus." He said, his voice still weak and thin.

"Hello, Severus." Dumbledore said softly, sitting down in a chair beside the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you." Snape said, with a wince as he shifted in the bed.

"I take it that your meeting with Tom went badly."

"Not that badly." He said, shaking his head. "Most of this…is due to Bellatrix. She was…angry that I refused to give Marie's name."

"Tom knows about Marie?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes widening in alarm.

"He does…I couldn't help it, Albus." Snape said, licking his lips to moisten them. "He…he was in my head much quicker than I anticipated, forcing his way in quite far before I could regain control."

"How much were we compromised?"

Snape grinned faintly, though his face was rather pale.

"In a way…" He replied, taking a moment to catch his breath, "It was a good thing that he ran across the memories of Marie and I. It…distracted him just long enough for me to rebuild my defenses. He learned nothing of importance, thank Merlin."

"What does he know of Marie? What did you have to tell him?"

"I told him…that I no longer enjoyed the revels." Snape said, hesitating a bit. "I told him that I had…seduced a student from a pureblood Wizarding family of good repute, to use as my personal plaything. That I had used _imperius _on her, forcing her to be with me against her will. Bellatrix was…angry that I said that I…would not be sharing Marie…at the revels. For now…the Dark Lord has declared her…off limits."

"Do you think he believed you?"

"I hope so."

"As soon as both of you have recovered, you need to reinforce this."

"Reinforce it?" Snape said, momentarily thrown off balance. "Are you mad?"

"Tom has spies within the castle walls, you know. It would be relatively easy to spread rumors among the students and staff about…your darker side."

"Absolutely not, Albus." Snape hissed, his eyes flashing with anger. "I cannot involve her in this—"

"You already have, Severus." The Headmaster said gently. "I'm not saying to actually mistreat the girl, just do enough, seen by the right people, that it will eventually find its way back to Tom."

"In other words, put on a show." The younger wizard said, frowning. "Make it appear as if I am…abusing her."

"Exactly."

"Albus, I…I don't know if I can do this."

"You must. Would you rather be forced to prove it at a revel?"

Snape shuddered at the thought, unconsciously pulling Marie closer. Dumbledore's eyebrows lifted slightly at this, though he carefully pretended not to notice it.

"If I do such a thing," Snape said softly. "Do you think she will be safe?"

"As safe as she can be, Severus." Dumbledore sighed. "I would suggest that you not speak to anyone of this, except for Miss Delacour. I would also recommend giving her some training in Occulmency, just to be on the safe side."

"Poppy and Minerva will be furious with me."

"Yes."

"Filus, too."

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Continue with the idea that you put her under _imperius_ to seduce her. Allow the students to see enough that it finds its way back to him. Perhaps Tom will be happy enough to let things stand as they are…and will no longer expect your participation in revels."

"One would hope so." Severus frowned.

For a while, they sat there in silence, until the Headmaster noticed Snape looking longingly at the pitcher of water on the bedside table.

"Ah! Forgive me, Severus." Dumbledore said, rising to get a glass and fill it with cool water from the pitcher.

Holding it carefully to Severus' mouth, he conjured a straw to help his Potions professor drink.

"So what happened to her, Albus?" Severus said, once he was able to speak again.

"I believe that the bond," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard, "is acting as a conduit for magic between you two. The potion that Miss Hargrove slipped to Marie reacted with her Veela blood, and caused her condition, and also caused her to unconsciously bond with you. That explains the rune, though not its meaning. Touching you allows your magic to flow to her, easing her pain.

"However, when you were injured, the bond acted in reverse, causing her magic to flow to you, healing your injuries. She lost consciousness because her magic was drained so rapidly. In a sense, she willingly gave her strength to you to heal you, at tremendous cost to herself."

"Is there…any permanent harm?" Snape asked softly, glancing down at Marie, who still slept soundly.

"I don't think so." Dumbledore said. "I'm going to check with her mother, who seems to know more than anyone else I've spoken with on this matter. She was the one who was able to tell me about the healing properties of the bond. Helene told me that her mother and father could not so much as cut a finger chopping potions ingredients without it being healed almost instantly."

"Sounds like a good thing."

"Mind you, Severus, that was after nearly thirty years. The bond grows stronger with time."

"Tell me, Albus," Severus said softly, "Speaking of time…what will happen to her if I die?"

Dumbledore frowned, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Honestly, Severus…I do not know. I would assume…that the bond would weaken."

"And if it weakens, so…so will she." Snape said softly.

Marie shifted, murmuring softly in her sleep as she snuggled closer to Severus. He glanced down at her for a moment, and then looked back at the Headmaster.

"For her sake, we must find a cure for this," Severus said, "and if possible, find a way to break the bond. I will not have her suffer the same fate as her grandmother, if I can help it."

"You may survive."

"Please, Albus." Snape sneered. "Spare me your childish optimism. We both know how unlikely that is."

"Slim odds are better than nothing, Severus."

"All the same, we must find a cure for her, and some way to ensure that she survives."

ooOoo

Author notes~

Ma chérie (Fr.) "My darling"

Ma bichette (Fr.) "My little doe (endearment used with young girls)

Connard (Fr.) asshole

Charonge (Fr.) Lit., "carrion", another way to say "bastard"

Ta gueule! (Fr.) Shut up! (Rudest way to say it)

J'ai eu assez de cela! (Fr.) I have had enough of this!

Fils de pute (Fr.) Son of a bitch

Va te faire foutre, trouduc! (Fr.) Go f*ck yourself, asshole!

Steganography: the practice of concealing messages or information within other non-secret text.


	2. Chapter 2

April 29, 1995~

By the time Severus' wounds had healed enough that Poppy grudgingly allowed him out of his bed, Marie was able to stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. It frightened him, how pitifully weak she was. When he was finally able to get out of bed and limp around the room, she was still bedridden, so exhausted that he had to feed her meals to her.

He tried to read, but often found himself just watching her as she slept. Whenever her face would tighten with pain, he would reach over to take her hand, and instantly she would relax with a quiet sigh of relief. Days passed, with Severus' frustration growing by the minute, until he finally confronted Poppy about it.

"I don't know what to do for her, other than let her rest, Severus." The medi-witch had snapped irritably when he'd asked about it. "I've done everything that I can for her, the poor dear. Her magic was nearly drained. The restorative potions work only so fast, and rest is what she needs most of all."

After another week, she was able to get up and move about some, leaning heavily on Severus' arm as he walked slowly and carefully, though it exhausted her quickly. Her other professors had sent her schoolwork to the Hospital Wing, and she worked till exhaustion, trying to keep up with her classes. Horace Slughorn had been called in to teach Potions while Severus was recovering, so his classes weren't a problem, at least.

"I'm sorry that I'm so sick, Sir." She said one evening, after supper, her voice nearly inaudible.

"It's alright." He sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. "You can't help it. We need to be more careful in the future, whenever I am injured."

_He said 'we'_, she thought, warmth suffusing her cheeks. _'We.'_

"I don't like the sound of that." She said, trembling a bit. "I'm afraid for you, whenever…you go to meet with him. I wish you didn't have to do it."

"But it is what I must do."

"I still don't like it."

"I will be more careful." Severus said, frowning slightly. "I don't want you to fall ill again, as you did this time."

He took her hand in his own, hoping that the bond might help her, transferring some of his magical strength to her.

"It's not your fault, you know." Marie said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "You can't help what the bond does with our magic."

"I know." He replied. "Marie…there is something we need to talk about."

"What is it?"

"The Dark Lord…is aware of you." Severus said softly, unable to meet her eyes.

"Oh, I know." She said calmly, startling him. He looked up, his mouth open in surprise, his eyes wide.

"I heard you and the Headmaster talking about it." Marie said, blushing. "So…we are to put on 'a show' for the Dark Lord?"

"Yes." He replied, frowning. "I…told them that I had…seduced you."

"Not entirely true." She smirked, then sobered up when he frowned at her. "Sorry about that. I guess it really isn't funny."

"No. We must perform flawlessly." He sighed. "We need to get our story straight. I told him, as you heard while eavesdropping-"

"I was lying in the bed with you," Marie pointed out, "while you discussed it with the Headmaster. That's not exactly eavesdropping. You could have cast _muffaliato_ so I didn't hear anything, but you didn't."

"I didn't think I needed to."

"Of course you didn't, because it concerns me." She said, taking a deep breath. "Here goes, then. I caught your eye in Potions class when I transferred here. Because I was willful and a shameless flirt with everyone but you, you decided to seduce me. You cast _imperius_ on me sometime last year, using dark magic to bind me to you like a slave. In classes, you took great pains to humiliate me in front of my friends, goading me until I lashed out at you, and then taking advantage of my temper to give me detention.

"You rigged your floo so you had access to my room, and you commanded me to visit you in your chambers at night. Despite my protests, you progressively became more and more demanding of me, though you did not take my virginity until January. Instead, you used me in other ways, like the time you spanked me, then grabbed my hair and forced me to suck your cock-"

Abruptly, she halted, alarmed at the horrified expression on his face.

"Severus!" She said gently, reaching out to take his hand. "It…it's just a suggestion. We're going to create memories for the Dark Lord, right?"

"Yes." He said in an unsteady voice, his eyes on his knees. "I…could not…"

"Look at me." Marie said gently, squeezing his hand. "I do not think for a single moment that you could ever really be cruel to me. But as you said, we have to make this something believable, something that he will like. Because then, he's more likely to believe it."

"I know." He replied, his voice thin and hollow as he sat there, still unwilling to meet her eyes.

"Come here." She said softly. With an effort, she sat up and pulled him toward her into a hug.

"I know what you are really like, Severus." She whispered, one hand sliding up to his face in a tender caress. "I know that this is just an act we have to put on…for him. I will act out my role, you act out yours."

"Marie," He whispered, pulling back slightly to look at her, "I…I probably will not survive the war that is coming."

For a long moment, her blue eyes held his dark ones, and then she smiled gently at him.

"Then we will enjoy what time we have, won't we."

"Next year…you will graduate." He said in a halting voice. "You must go…somewhere safe. To university, somewhere far from here."

"But what about…my affliction?" She frowned. "I still need you."

"Hopefully, by then, we will have a cure."

ooOoo

May 1, 1995~

"Miss Delacour, I would like to see you after class."

She stopped short of the door, turning to glare sullenly at him as he stood behind his desk, his arms crossed. Luna gave her a curious look, and then stopped next to her. The other students walked around them, several of them, especially the girls, gawking at Marie and whispering to each other. A few of them even cast fearful, even contemptuous glances at Professor Snape.

"Marie." Her fellow Ravenclaw whispered softly, placing a hand on her arm. "You don't have to stay. You don't have to do anything he tells you to do. You can go to the Headmaster-"

"No, Luna." Marie sighed, a note of disgust in her voice. "I'd better see what the old dungeon bat wants now."

"Go to your head of house," Hermione urged her, flicking a nervous glance behind her at Snape. "Go to Poppy. Marie, if he put marks like that on you, that's abuse and it needs to stop—"

"I'll be fine, Hermione. Thanks for watching out for me." Marie smiled bravely. "I'll see you at dinner."

Reluctantly, Hermione left, after glancing once more at the livid bruises on the sides of Marie's neck.

Marie closed the door once her friends had walked away down the hallway, casting _silenceo_ and warding the heavy oaken door. With a sigh, she turned away from the door, setting her book bag on the floor, and walked toward the front of the classroom. Severus had sat down in his chair, burying his face in his hands. The sight pained her enormously.

"Well, that should be in the Quibbler by the next issue." She said, with a forced cheerfulness. "Next weekend, I'll wear it to Hogsmeade so Rita Skeeter can see it."

He raised his head, the misery etched in his eyes tugging cruelly at her heart.

"Severus." Marie said softly, reaching down to touch his hair. "It's just a glamour. It's not real."

"Take…take it off…for now." He whispered hoarsely, eyeing the ugly bruises on her throat. "Please."

"_Finite incantaeum_." She sighed, making a quick motion with her wand, and the bruises vanished. "Is that better?"

"Yes." He nodded, rubbing his eyes wearily.

"Come here." Marie said gently.

Silently, she gathered him to her, sliding her arms around him to hug him to her bosom. With a sigh, she lowered her head, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head.

"I'm sorry we have to do this." She said softly, after holding him for several minutes. "I don't like it any more than you do."

"It's not your fault."

"Can I come see you tonight?"

"Not tonight. I…" Severus frowned, his eyes darkening. "I…have a meeting tonight. I won't be back until very late."

Marie gently took his face in her hands, kissing him, and then looked deep in his eyes.

"Be careful." She whispered.

He nodded, and then silently watched as she collected her books and left the classroom. When the door closed, he slumped in his chair behind his desk.

"Who is sustaining who here?" He muttered, half to himself.

ooOoo

May 4, 1995~

"Severus! Are you there?" Poppy's voice called from the sitting room.

With an irritated sigh, he cast a _stasis_ charm on the Limbering Solution that was bubbling merrily in the cauldron. Wincing in pain from the burning in his hand-that dammed rune again-he walked rapidly from the potions lab to the fireplace in his sitting room. Poppy's face hovered impatiently in the greenish flames.

"What is it, Poppy?" Severus sighed, crossing his arms. "I have things I need to be doing today. You know that I spend much of my time during the summer break brewing the potions for the Hospital Wing."

Never mind that, Severus!" The Medi-witch snapped, glaring at him. "You need to get up here right away. They just brought Marie to me, from Hogsmeade. She's had one of her episodes, a bad one."

"But that shouldn't be," He gasped, grabbing his robes from the hall tree by the door and donning them. "She was just here with me last night-"

"Severus, just get up here now!" Poppy said, and then closed the connection.

Grabbing a handful of floo powder, he tossed it into the flames.

"Hospital Wing." He said, stepping into the floo.

Poppy's office was empty, as he expected, so he rushed out into the hallway, nearly knocking down an assistant healer. Catching her by the arm to keep her from falling, he pulled her toward him to ask where Marie was, only to be rocked by a teeth rattling slap to his face.

"Get your hands off of me, you filthy pervert!" The young healer screeched, struggling to free herself from his grasp. It wasn't that difficult, as Snape had let go shortly after she had slapped him, shocked and surprised at the viciousness of her attack.

"Ellen!" Poppy shouted from a doorway down the hall. "That's enough! Go take a break, and leave Professor Snape be!"

With a huff, Ellen shot him another glare, and then walked away.

"Down here, Severus." Poppy said, beckoning to him. "She needs you."

Rubbing his face, he quickly walked to the room and entered, to find Marie lying in a hospital bed. She was shivering violently, her jaw clenched in pain, eyes tightly shut. He went to the bed, taking her hand, and just like that, her pain was relieved. With a sigh, she relaxed, gasping for breath as her blue eyes locked to his and she gripped his hand tightly.

"Severus." Marie whispered weakly, shivering and closing her eyes. "Oh, thank Merlin."

Gradually, she relaxed, her grip even loosening as she lapsed into unconsciousness. When he was satisfied that she was resting comfortably, Severus looked over at Poppy, who had conjured a chair and sat down near the foot of the hospital bed.

"What happened?" He asked the Medi-witch.

Poppy sighed deeply.

"She was in Hogsmeade with some of the other students from Ravenclaw. When they went to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeers, Marie got cornered by Rita Skeeter."

Severus closed his eyes, dreading the rest of the story, but he motioned with his free hand for Poppy to continue.

"Anyway, Rita 'interviewed' Marie," Poppy said, "…she asked if there was any truth to the rumor that you were carrying on with her. Marie denied it, but admitted that she was…having intimate relations with a Hogwarts professor. This, to Rita's mind, was just as good as admitting she was sleeping with you.

"So, some girls from Slytherin overheard this, and ambushed her when she and her friends left the Three Broomsticks. They threw eggs and rotten vegetables at her, and I believe that there were a few minor hexes exchanged between the Ravenclaws and Slytherins. But that wasn't the worst of it."

"What, pray tell," Severus sighed, "was the worst of it?"

"Jonathan Perkins grabbed Marie," Poppy said softly, leaning against the wall, "after proclaiming loudly that any tart good enough to shag his head of house was good enough for him, he kissed her. Evidently, that was what triggered a full blown seizure. The good thing, if you can call it that, was that it frightened her attackers so badly that those who didn't flee went for help. Minerva brought her back as soon as she got to her."

"A seizure?" He gasped, "That…that's never happened before, has it?"

"No." Poppy sighed, rubbing her eyes wearily. "Nothing this serious, at least. So, you'd better keep close to her for a few days."

"Everyone thinks I'm a monster." Severus said in a hollow whisper.

"You're doing it for the greater good." The Medi-witch said gently. "Try to keep that in mind."

"It's not much comfort." He muttered, glancing over at Marie.

ooOoo

May 7, 1995~

She was propped up in her bed, trying to read, when her mother walked in. Helene Delacour smiled warmly at the all too familiar sight of her daughter completely engrossed in a thick book.

"Good morning, ma bichette." She said softly, approaching the bed with her bag.

"Mama!" Marie said, her face breaking into a brilliant smile.

Helene put her bag down and leaned down to give Marie a warm hug.

"How are you, darling?" She asked her daughter, giving her a stern look tempered with a smile. "I heard that you were sick again."

"Oh, it's nothing, Mama." Marie blurted out, blushing deeply. "I just overdid it, helping Poppy."

"Don't fib to me, Marie." Her mother said sternly, arching an eyebrow at her cringing daughter.

"I…"

"Oh, never mind. I brought you something." Helene said gently, reaching into her bag and retrieving a small box, which she handed to Marie.

"What is this?"

"Open it."

Marie undid a catch, flipping open the lid. The box held twelve small vials of a reddish-purple colored potion, shimmering slightly in the bottles.

"You should probably take one right now, Marie." Her mother said, looking down at her hands.

"But what is it, Mama?" Her daughter asked, uncorking one of the vials and sniffing the contents.

_I know this smell, though it is a bit off_, she thought, abruptly blushing scarlet as realization dawned on her.

"This is…contraceptive potion, isn't it?" Marie asked in a hushed whisper.

"Yes, it is." Helene said just as softly. "Professor Snape, he has taught you well."

"I smell…Cuando root…and jonquil oil."

"Yes. I followed a formula in your Grandfather's potions notes. It is the standard once monthly contraceptive potion, with the formula adjusted for someone with Veela blood. I feared that the regular formula…might not be effective."

By this point in the conversation, Marie had turned deathly pale.

"You have been…with him, yes?" Helene sighed, frowning. "You used the regular contraceptive potion, did you not?"

Marie nodded silently, tears welling up in her eyes. Helene closed her eyes tightly, pinching the bridge of her nose, and let out a sigh.

"Well, all we can do is hope for the best." Helene said finally, giving Marie a smile of encouragement.

ooOoo

June 6, 1995~

"Now, what did I tell you?"

"To be polite to him." Marcel Delacour sighed, eyeing his wife as she put the final touches on the sitting room.

"And?"

"If you give me 'the look', that I am to retire to my study."

"That is not what I told you." Helene said, anger creeping into her voice. "Marcel, I told you that you are going to treat them both well, and we will enjoy our visit with them. Now, I am warning you—"

"Helene—"

"Don't you 'Helene' me." She snapped irritably. "They'll be here any minute now. They are spending the weekend with us, and we're lucky they can visit that long. And I will have a good visit with them, understood?"

"Yes, dear." Marcel sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Remember, first and foremost, this is not their fault." Helene said, picking a nearly invisible speck of lint off of his robes. "Second, according to Veela custom, they're as good as married since it's comparable to a wizarding bonding. Now, they will be sleeping in Marie's room—"

"I cannot believe this-"

"—and you will not give either of them a hard time about it. Understood?"

The doorbell chimed, causing both of them to jump slightly.

"That's them." Helene said, patting her hair into place, and then shooting a glare at her husband. "Remember what I told you. You treat them as if they are married, or else."

Marcel began to say something, and then thought better of it.

"He is good to her, Marcel." She said softly, almost to herself. "She is happy. Keep that in mind."

Opening the door, she waved Marie and Severus in.

"The closet is right there, you can hang your traveling cloaks up." Helene said, hugging Marie tightly. "Welcome to our home, Professor Snape."

"I…thank you." Severus said, looking rather uncomfortable as he helped Marie take her cloak off.

"Professor Snape." Marcel nodded politely, taking a hanger from the closet and extending it to him.

"Monsieur Delacour."

"Oh, you two!" Helene sighed, taking Marie's cloak and hanging it in the closet. "Stop being so formal."

Dinner was a tense affair, with most of the conversation being conducted by Helene, with the other three scarcely participating. With an exasperated sigh, she finally got up.

"I need to check on something in the kitchen." She said, looking hard at Marie. "Would you come help me, Marie?"

"Of course, Mama." Her daughter said, glancing back nervously at her father and Severus as she followed her mother out of the room. Once the door closed behind them, her mother turned on her, wandlessly casting _silenceo_ on herself and her daughter.

"Severus needs to talk more." Helene whispered sharply. "He has hardly said a thing all evening! You need to encourage him to be more social!"

"Mama, he isn't used to things like this." Marie replied, glancing behind her at the door. "He's used to keeping to himself. Besides, Daddy hasn't exactly been that friendly with him."

ooOoo

Meanwhile, in the dining room, the two wizards quietly regarded each other, as if before a duel, probing for weaknesses. After several tense minutes had passed, the older of the two finally spoke.

"You are treating my daughter poorly." Marcel said in a soft, dangerous voice, idly tapping a finger on the table beside his plate.

"You've been reading the papers, I take it." Snape said calmly. "Rita Skeeter never has been one for accuracy when a story is at stake."

"There were photographs of my daughter with bruises on her neck. Explain that, Professor."

"Monsieur Delacour," Severus said, carefully placing his hands on either side of his plate, "As Headmaster Dumbledore has told you, I am involved in some rather…clandestine work for him, which could be quite dangerous for your daughter. To protect her, we…have to give the appearance of things going on that are rather…unsavory."

For a moment, Marcel simply glared at Snape, fairly trembling with anger. Then, he slumped in his seat, leaning forward and rubbing his eyes.

"So, what about the bruises?" He said, his glare slightly softer now. "I will not allow this to happen, you abusing my daughter. I don't like you being with her, though I understand that neither of you can help that. All the same, I will not stand idly by and allow you to hurt her."

"The bruises are merely a glamour, nothing more." Severus said softly. "It was…completely your daughter's idea, sir. Ms. Skeeter, eager to write something to diminish my reputation, never bothered to check for any magic. Marie has gotten quite good…at making herself look as if I abuse her viciously, in order to provide us with a good cover story. If I fail, I want her to be safe, and destroying what reputation I have remaining seems a fair price to ensure it. There are dark times ahead, Monsieur."

"All of this…just to protect her?" Marcel gasped, his eyes widening as he realized what Snape was hinting at. "What you are doing…must be risky to do this, to destroy your reputation."

"Yes. It will be easier this way." Snape sighed, toying with his wine glass. "No matter what happens, I want her to be safe. I have arranged for her to pursue her further education at Lores University."

"A good choice…prestigious, unplottable." Marcel nodded, his expression grave now. "But rather expensive, Monsieur. How am I going to pay for her tuition on my Ministry salary?"

"I will pay for it." The younger wizard said softly. "After all…she is bonded to me. It is something…that I can do for her."

Marcel Delacour eyed him for a long moment.

"You do not expect to survive, do you?" He asked softly, his expression somber.

"No."

"What will happen to Marie, then?"

"I have arranged for her to be cared for." Snape replied. "It's the best I can do, if I don't survive."

"You understand, what this woman has written about you." He said, refilling their glasses with wine. "People have spoken to me, urged me to take action against you. To challenge you to a duel. They know nothing of…the bond…or any of what you have told me tonight."

"I understand, Monsieur." Snape nodded. "However, it would not be wise. To do so might risk everything that the Headmaster and I are risking so much for. To keep her safe, it is best if you denounce me as a monster publicly, as if our relationship was a complete surprise to you and your wife, when the time comes."

"And how will I know when it is time to do that?"

"Believe me, Sir…" Severus said softly, a sad smile coming to his face, "You will know when it is time."

ooOoo

"You know, the house elves could bring in the dessert." Marie said, nervously pacing the kitchen floor as the elves put the final touches on the crêpes suzettes. "We didn't have to come in here, Mama."

"I know." Her mother said, taking a sip from her cup of espresso.

"It's awfully quiet in there."

"I know."

"I don't like this, Mama."

Helene smiled indulgently at her daughter, and then carefully took another sip from her cup.

"Mama, I don't think we should leave them alone together for so long. It's far too quiet in there."

"Marie," Helene sighed, "please, calm down. Did you ever consider that they might actually be getting along well? Your father is much more reasonable than you think, and I believe they are capable of working out their differences."

"Is finished." The house elf announced, giving them a look that was a mixture of pride and disappointment.

"Thank you, Martin." Helene said graciously. "Just for this once, I need to carry it in."

"Marvin understands." The house elf sighed, his ears drooping.

"It is magnificent, Marvin." Helene said gently, picking up the tray with the crêpes suzettes. "You truly have outdone yourself tonight."

Swallowing nervously, Marie pushed the door open to the dining room, holding it open for her mother.

ooOoo

September 30, 1995~

Severus looked up from his desk as the door opened, scowling at Professor Flitwick. His students were right in the middle of making their first ever batch of Pepper-Up potion, and he'd already just narrowly warded off one near catastrophe. Geoffrey Phelan would be spending the next two nights in detention with Filch after he attempted to put Leaping Toadstool dust in a fellow student's potion as a prank; the combination would have been sure to make most of the class deathly nauseous from the fumes.

"Professor Flitwick, is there some reason," He hissed irritably, "that you could not wait until after my second period Potions class was finished to come in? Or, I don't know, perhaps knock before barging in?"

"We've done it, Severus." Flitwick panted, struggling to catch his breath. "We have something, not a cure for her, but at least, something that will help. At least, for now."

His class forgotten for the moment, Snape advanced on the short wizard, kneeling to be on eye level with him.

"The trial was successful?" He asked softly. "The powdered Yimbe root, did it help?"

"Yes, it did." Flitwick said, leaning on a desk. "That was brilliant of you to suggest it. The trial was very successful. Granted, we need you to tweak the formula a bit, make it a bit easier to make, but it works wonderfully. She was able to go thirty-one hours between doses."

"Thirty-one…hours." Snape said softly, standing up.

"Yes, thirty-one." The shorter wizard said, nodding his head. "Of course, Poppy is recommending that she take it once every twenty-four, just to give herself a longer serum time with the potion. She tolerates the ingredients well, though. No side effects so far."

At that point, Fiona Mercer's cauldron began to boil over, causing Snape to whirl on her angrily. The petite blond first-year turned deathly pale, her blue eyes widening as her Potions instructor descended upon her like a thundercloud. He began to speak, but could not.

_Blue eyes, almost as blue as…hers_, came unbidden to his mind. He drew his wand, the anger dissipating from his face. One corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he struggled to regain his composure.

"Start over again, Miss Mercer." He said gently, _vanishing_ the mess. "Mind the heat next time. Bloodroot seeds are rather volatile."

For a long moment, Fiona sat there frozen in place, blinking, unable to believe her good luck. After the student next to her poked her in the ribs, she came out of her trance, rapidly assembling her ingredients to begin making her potion.

"Come by my office later, Severus." Flitwick said, watching his colleague carefully the whole time. "We'll…we can discuss the potion for Miss Delacour."

"Yes, of course, Professor Flitwick." Snape said softly, walking toward his desk at the front of the classroom. "I'll see you…after classes."

The remainder of the class passed without incident, mainly due to Professor Snape's uncharacteristic behavior. He was polite, reserved, and distant, which was completely unnerving to the first-years. However, there were few mistakes made, and in all, half the class made a passable potion. When they had cleaned up and the last student had shuffled out the door, he closed the door behind them with a negligent wave of his hand.

With a sigh, he dropped his head, cradling it in his hands as he sat behind his desk.

_I've made a terrible mistake_, he thought uneasily, closing his eyes tightly. _I'm such a fool._

_I allowed her to get close to me, to get under my skin. I allowed her to open my heart, to give me hope._

_With this potion, she could be free of me._

_Free of this…sickness that brings her so much suffering._

_Safe from what is to come, perhaps._

_And now I am unwilling to let her go. I'm being selfish._

_I must let her go. It is the only way she might survive what is coming. I must…distance myself from her; tell the Dark Lord I have grown weary of her…that I discarded her._

_Hopefully, I will be able to distract him enough, that he will forget about her._

_Will she hate me when she finds out what I am?_

_When she finds out what I must do?_

_Why do I care?_

_I have no right to her._

_I don't deserve her, no more than I deserved Lily._

_Let her go_, he told himself, the very thought causing his heart to constrict painfully.

_You are beyond redemption now; there is no hope for you._

_Let her live. Hopefully, the Dark Lord will forget about her, believe my story that I grew bored with her. I can't let him know that I care for her, lest he use her against me._

_I must protect her, somehow._

_If I do one single thing right in my wretched life, let it be for her._

ooOoo

November 21, 1995~

"Good morning, Marie." Poppy said, opening the curtains. "How do you feel this morning?"

"I…feel fine." She said, blinking in the morning sunlight. "The new potion…it works."

"No cramping, no pain?" The medi-witch asked, taking out a thermometer and putting it in Marie's mouth. "I'd say you slept pretty well; I don't think you moved all night."

"No…I slept really well. No dreams at all…I guess I was exhausted."

Poppy took out her wand and began running over Marie, murmuring a diagnostic charm. Satisfied, she put her wand away, smiling at Marie.

"It appears that the potion," Poppy said, "That Professor Snape brewed is working just as we hoped it would. You've been able to go nearly thirty-four hours with no physical contact with him, and no pain. Isn't that marvelous?"

Marie gave Poppy an uncertain smile, and then sat up on the bed.

"I can be normal again." Marie said softly, glancing out the window. "I…I could go spend Christmas holiday with my parents."

"I don't see why not." Poppy said, then took a vial out of her pocket, handing it to Marie. "But you'd better not forget to take your potion every morning. There's today's dose. You take that, and I'll go let Headmaster Dumbledore and the others know that it worked. They'll be delighted."

Marie took the stopper out of the vial and drank the contents, making a face at the taste of it.

"Ugh." She groaned, shuddering. "Did Professor Snape intend for it to taste this bad?"

"I can't say as he did for sure." The medi-witch smirked, taking the empty vial and _vanishing_ it. "I know that the contraceptive potion that he teaches the students to make has a little extra ingredient to make sure that it tastes awful, though. But you didn't hear that from me, mind you."

Marie giggled at that, covering her mouth politely.

"Now, you get dressed," Poppy smiled, patting the young witch on the shoulder, "and come out to the front of the Hospital Wing. I'm sure that Headmaster Dumbledore and the other would like to see you before you go back to your dorm."

"Um…Poppy?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Has Professor Snape returned yet?" Marie asked, a note of anxiety creeping into her voice.

"No, dear." The Medi-witch said gently, folding a blanket. "He didn't go to see you-know-who, though. He went to Paris, and then to Diagon Alley, to pick up some items for the Headmaster."

ooOoo

January 18, 1996~

"Professor Snape's quarters." She said again, anxiety creeping into her voice as she tossed the floo powder into the flames once more. They turned green for a moment, then back to their normal orange and yellow.

"Fils de pute!" Marie snapped angrily, throwing the bowl on the floor, the floo powder going everywhere in a greenish cloud, sparkling as it contacted the flames in her fireplace. With a frustrated sigh, she sat down on the rug in her dormitory room, close to tears.

"Greasy git." She snarled, conjuring a water glass just so she could hurl it at the fireplace, where it shattered into bits. "Bastard."

For several repetitions, she used _reparo_ to mend it, and then threw it again. Over and over, until someone knocked on her door.

"What?" Marie snapped irritably, jerking her door open after _vanishing_ the sparkling shards of glass on her floor.

Her housemate Luna Lovegood stood there in the doorway, with a bemused smile on her face.

"Are you alright?" She said, looking around Marie as if she expected to find something. "I heard so much noise; I thought that perhaps a Nargle was loose in your room. They're attracted to loud noises, you know."

"What?" Marie said, momentarily thrown off. "There's no Nargles in here, Luna."

"Oh." The younger witch said, frowning slightly. With a disappointed sigh, she simply walked away, leaving Marie looking on in bewilderment.

Marie closed the door, and then walked over to her armchair by the fireplace, sitting down.

_It's been three weeks now_, she fumed, hugging her knees to her chest. _Three weeks, and he's done nothing but ignore me. As if the potion gives me everything I need._

_How __dare__ he treat me this way._

Eyeing the mess on her floor, she retrieved her wand and used it to clean the floo powder up, transferring it back to the bowl. When she finished, she sent the bowl floating back to its usual place on the fireplace mantel.

_He's closed his floo to me_, she thought angrily, tapping her wand against her palm. _That bastard thinks he can just shut me out._

_I'll show him._

ooOoo

She was taking her time, paying little mind to her classmates that rushed past her to the last class of the day. Before reaching the stairs that led down to the dungeons, she walked over to the window to gaze out on the garden, closing her eyes and breathing in the cool crisp air outside. Hermione Granger stopped, giving her a puzzled look as Ron Weasley and Harry Potter continued down the hallway on their way to class.

"Marie, don't you have Advanced Potions with us?" Granger asked her, concerned. "If you don't come on, you'll be late."

"Yes." Marie smiled. "But I'm not really worried about it that much. So far, I have an Exceeds Expectations."

"Well, you'd better hurry up." The younger student said. "Professor Snape doesn't tolerate tardiness, even if you are a seventh year."

"Oh, I'll be fine, Hermione." Marie said cheerfully. "Save me a seat, would you?"

Granger gave her a look of disbelief, shook her head, and rapidly walked down the hallway.

By the time Marie reached the Potions classroom, she was exactly twenty minutes late for class. Drawing in a deep breath and blowing it out slowly, she opened the heavy wooden door and stepped inside.

"…tifuro bark, tiger lily seeds, and leaping toadstool extract. You will also need-" Snape looked up, scowling at the interruption. When he saw who it was, his expression softened slightly, though he still glared at her as she made her way into the classroom.

Marie gave him a big wave and a cheerful smile, and then walked to the front of the classroom to sit down in the one remaining seat, next to Luna Lovegood.

"Sorry, Professor." She smirked, setting her textbooks down and making a big show of waving her nails at him. "My nail polish wasn't quite dry yet. I didn't want to ruin a perfect finish. This new color is gorgeous, but it dries so slowly, such a pain. You don't happen to know any charms for speeding up the drying, do you?"

A few of the girls in the classroom giggled. She could just about hear him grinding his teeth together as he glared down at her, and he opened his mouth to sneer something, and then stopped, his fist clenching so hard that the chalk in his right hand crumbled to dust.

She had closed her eyes, smiling up at him serenely.

Written on her eyelids, where it could not be seen unless her eyes were closed, were two words that nearly undid him.

_Love you_

For a moment, he went deathly white, swaying slightly on his feet as he clutched at his desk to remain upright. Trembling with rage, he glared down at her, drawing himself to his full height. Marie merely smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes.

"Ten, no, twenty points from Ravenclaw." He sputtered, his face red as a beet. "And…and you will have two night's detention. With Filch."

"Not with you, Sir?" She said petulantly, smiling at him again. "May I ask why, Professor?"

In the hushed classroom, someone giggled, stifling it quickly as Snape glared in their direction. When he could not determine who laughed, he turned his wrath back to Marie.

"Another…twenty points from Ravenclaw." Snape choked out, his face reddening. "You will spend a week's detention with—"

The classroom broke into a noisy pandemonium of voices, once the students recovered from their collective surprise.

"Silence." He hissed, glaring around the room. "I will be most generous with detentions today, as well as the deduction of house points. The ingredients for the potion are on the board. I suggest you begin."

_The nerve of her! _He thought angrily, turning in a swirl of black robes and stalking back to the blackboard. With a sigh of disgust, Marie slumped on her stool, propping up her chin on her hand as she glared at his back.

"I don't think it worked very well." Luna said quietly, startling Marie half out of her wits.

It was the most lucid thing that the younger witch had ever said to her.

ooOoo

January 20, 1996, sometime after midnight ~

"Miss Delacour."

She froze in her tracks, holding her breath and quietly hoping her _disillusionment_ charm would hold up to scrutiny. After nothing further was said, and nothing happened, she carefully began to creep toward an alcove to conceal herself further, hoping perhaps that the Headmaster hadn't really seen her.

"_Finite incanteum_." He sighed behind her, ending the charm with a negligent wave of his hand as he approached her, his slippers whispering on the stone floor of the dungeons.

Now she stood before him, trembling in her nightgown, barefoot on the cold stone floor.

"I rather doubt that you are sleepwalking." Dumbledore said gently. "Where are you going at this time of night, my dear?"

"I…I…he…he…" Marie began to speak, but simply hung her head miserably, tears suddenly flowing freely down her cheeks.

"What is the problem, dear?"

"He…he closed…his floo to me." She finally managed to choke out between sobs. "We finished constructing the memories to protect him when he has to go to…to him, and…we…he won't let me come see him. He hardy speaks to me anymore. He-"

"I know, my dear." Dumbledore said gently, producing a hanky and handing it to her. "I disagreed with him, but he insists it is necessary to protect you."

"Protect me?" Marie said, anger creeping into her voice as she dabbed at her eyes.

"From Tom." He said, then, seeing the blank look on her face, said. "The Dark Lord, my dear. Tom Riddle."

"I don't care about any of that." She snapped angrily. "I need to see him. I have a right to see him. Dammit, he's mine, and I have the right—"

Her hands flew to her mouth, dropping the hanky, her eyes horrified as she realized what she had just said aloud.

The Headmaster merely smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"Come with me, my dear." He said, shuffling back down the hallway.

ooOoo

As he took a sip of his firewhiskey, Severus heard his floo activate. Frowning, he looked up to see the flames in his fireplace turn green, and set his glass down, hoping it would only be a short conversation tonight with the Headmaster.

"What is it now, Albus?" He sighed irritably. "I'd like to get some reading in tonight, if you don't mind."

Then Marie stepped out of the green flames, brushing the soot off of her nightgown. Snape rose from his chair to ward her off, nearly stumbling over his footstool.

"Miss Delacour, I-" He began, but his voice seemed to leave him as she gave him a withering look, her blue eyes dark with anger as she held up a finger to his lips.

"You closed your floo to me." She said softly, walking toward him as he backed away from her. "So I borrowed Headmaster Dumbledore's floo."

"I…" Severus said, starting slightly as he felt the stone wall at his back. Now, she was only inches away, her blue eyes frosty as she glared up at him.

"Did you really think you could just shut me out?"

"Miss Delacour, I want you to go back-"

"No." She said, glaring up at him as she put her hand on his chest. Taking a firm grip on his shirt, she pulled him away from the wall. Leading him over to the couch, she then pushed on his chest till he reluctantly sat down.

Hiking up her nightgown, she straddled his lap and sat down, effectively trapping him.

"Miss…Delacour…" He breathed as she began to undo the buttons on his white shirt, "…this is…highly…improper…"

"Oh, my dear Severus," She smiled thinly, "I think we passed 'improper' a long time ago."

"Miss-"

"My name is Marie. Say it."

"M-miss Delacour, I must insist…"

"Marie." She said in a soft, dangerous voice, her blue eyes boring into his. "Say it, Severus. Marie."

"You need to go…back…"

"My name. Say it, Severus."

By now, her nose was nearly touching his, her eyes twinkling as she sensed that victory was close at hand.

"M-Marie." He breathed, his lower lip trembling.

"Good boy." She smirked, lowering her lips to his to kiss him hungrily.

"Marie…please…" he gasped, when she finally let him up for air.

"Severus." Marie hissed softly, nipping his earlobe with her teeth. "You…are…mine."

Slowly, she came to the realization that he was weeping, tears flowing freely down his cheeks.

"Marie…please…don't." Severus sobbed. "Please…this is madness…leave me."

"No." she said softly, shaking her head. "I'll never leave you. Ever."

"You must. The time…is coming soon that I will not be able to…protect you."

"I don't care. I want you. If you die, I don't want to-"

He kissed her fiercely, shutting off the rest of her words. Cradling her head gently in his hands, he looked hard at her, his gaze so intense that she could barely hold it.

"No. You…must live." He whispered, swiping his tears away. "No matter what happens to me, you must live."

ooOoo

June 19, 1996~

"Why, Miss Delacour, this is quite a surprise." Dumbledore said, picking up his candy dish and holding it toward her. "Peppermint?"

"No, thank you, Sir." Marie said, smoothing her robes after she sat down on the couch.

"How can I help you today? Is everything in order with your school transcript for your application to Lores University? We owled it to them two weeks ago, but haven't heard anything. Not that unusual, seeing as they are one of the top rated universities of magic in Europe. I've heard that they turn away half of student applications, they get so many at a time—"

"I'm not here about the university, sir." She said bluntly. "I need to talk to you about Severus."

The Headmaster leaned back in his chair, giving the young witch a wary look.

"Well, say what you need to, then."

Marie took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Headmaster, you understand that I do know most of what it going on, correct?"

"Yes."

"I know that Severus must continue with what he is doing, whether I like it or not."

Dumbledore nodded silently, his eyes grave.

"Just promise me that you'll take care of him for me, Sir."

"I will do my best, Miss Delacour." He sighed. "The situation is unpredictable at best."

"I have agreed to leave Hogwarts and go off to university," Marie said softly, "I expect you to protect my bond-mate. I don't like leaving him, but he insists that I must leave to be safe."

"As I have told you, Miss Delacour," Dumbledore replied, adjusting his glasses, "He will be protected to the best of my ability. We are all in grave danger, though some still do not believe that Tom has returned."

ooOoo

June 23, 1996~

It was only a matter of time before she made a mistake. Marie slipped away from Lores University campus to meet some of her friends from Hogwarts who were on summer break, figuring they were safe among the crowds of busy shoppers.

She was looking for some new robes in Diagon Alley with Luna and Hermione when it happened; one wrong turn and they were face to face with a group of rather unsavory looking wizards and witches. They both drew their wands, but before they could cast anything, someone in the crowd disarmed them.

Now a witch came forward, proudly clutching their wands in her hand. Four of the Death Eaters grabbed Luna and Hermione to restrain them, while a huge man with cruel eyes moved behind Marie to cut off any hope of escape.

"Well, well…Luna Lovegood." Bellatrix Lestrange smirked. "Granger. I know you, but who is your friend here? Can't say as we've met."

"Marie Delacour." Marie said coldly. "Madam, I demand that you give us our wands back."

"Oh…I don't think I'll do that just yet." The older witch grinned nastily, walking up to Marie. "No, not just yet, missy. A Delacour, eh? Now, that's a very prestigious, respectable family of purebloods. Isn't it?"

"I suppose so."

"So why are you hanging around…" Bellatrix sneered, glancing over at Hermione, "with a filthy Muggle?"

Marie slapped her, hard enough that the older witch nearly dropped their wands as she fumbled to regain her balance. With the reflexes of an experienced duelist, Bellatrix recovered quickly, dealing the younger witch a vicious backhand that flung her hard against the alley wall. Blood began to run from a gash on Marie's cheek, caused by one of Bellatrix's rings.

"You insolent little bitch!" The older witch snarled, advancing on her. "You'll pay for that!"

Grabbing a handful of Marie's hair, Bellatrix roughly dragged her to her feet, wringing a cry of pain from her. When Marie tried to kick her, the older witch cast body-bind, effectively stopping any such thing, then savagely jerked her upright.

"Spunky, aren't you?" Bellatrix hissed into Marie's face as she raised her wand. "I'll fix you, missy! Some bleeding boils, right on your pretty little face! _Hemo—_"

"Wait." The big man said, taking hold of Bellatrix's hand to halt her wand motion.

"What is it now, Grayback?" The witch hissed irritably, yanking her hand free. "You can't eat any of them just yet."

Marie shrank back in terror, her eyes widening as the werewolf knelt by her, leaning down closer. She could smell his fetid breath, and nearly gagged. Carefully, he sniffed her hair, then her neck, his breath tickling her neck. Closing her eyes, she laid there helpless as she awaited the bite that would doom her to be a werewolf.

It didn't come.

Abruptly, Grayback stood up, smirking down at her.

"Today…is your lucky day, lass." He grinned nastily. "Or perhaps, your unlucky day."

Turning back to Bellatrix, he nodded.

"It's her." He said. "She is protected. I can smell him on her."

Abruptly, the older witch frowned, then knelt and leaned forward, carefully sniffing Marie's hair. When she pulled back, her expression was no longer one of anger, but rather craftiness and sheer malice, focused solely on Marie.

"Well…well…" She smirked, giving Marie a malevolent smile. "If it isn't Severus'…little…pet."

_Please don't!_ Marie thought, her blue eyes widening in horror as she realized what Bellatrix was about to do.

Standing up, the older witch glanced at her fellow Death Eaters, who had been holding Hermione and Luna this whole time.

"What to do, what to do…" Bellatrix frowned, her arms crossed, tapping her wand absently on her chin. "Such an opportunity, this is. Does your…master know you're roaming free? Perhaps Severus is wondering where you might be, eh? Wondering where his little lost…kitten might be."

Marie glared up at her, trying to convey the contempt she felt for the older witch through her cold blue eyes, her lower lip trembling as she kept silent.

"Oh, yes." Bellatrix smirked at her. "You're a real tigress, aren't you? I'd just love to take you home with me…but the Dark Lord has commanded that you are strictly…off…limits. Something about you being the property of his favored servant. So, Bella can't play with you, too."

Glancing at the other two girls, she smiled sadly.

"A pity, indeed." The older witch sighed, frowning dramatically. "We could have so much fun together. I heard you like it rough…ah, yes…a little pain makes the pleasure so much sweeter, doesn't it?"

Hermione gasped audibly at this last, giving Marie a look that was one of horror mixed with disgust. Bellatrix grinned at her, giving the younger witch a lecherous wink for good measure.

"We could take her back with us." Thorfinn Rowle suggested, leering hopefully at Marie. "Her and the Muggle. Maybe do Snape a favor, returning lost property."

Bellatrix pursed her lips, half-frowning, half-smirking. Then, having come to some sort of decision, she tossed their wands on the pavement.

"No. We're done here. Let them go." She said, and then smiled malevolently at Marie, reaching down to pinch her cheek. "Just so adorable, aren't you? We'll meet again…pet."

Cackling, she ran down the alley, followed closely by her companions. Hermione knelt, picking up their wands, and handed them back after releasing Marie.

"You alright?" She asked Marie, who had taken out her hanky and pressed it to her cheek to staunch the bleeding. "Let me heal that."

Marie nodded mutely as she sat on the cobblestones, still a bit in shock from her rough treatment. Luna gently took the bloody hanky from her unresisting hand, tucking it away in her pocket. Then she ran her wand over the cut, murmuring softly in Latin as the skin knitted back together, leaving a faint pink scar high on Marie's left cheek.

"So…" The younger witch said softly as she finished, "What was all that 'Severus' pet' business about, Marie?"

ooOoo

They were sitting in The Leaky Cauldron, at a table in the back, well away from prying eyes. Hermione shook her head, taking another sip of her butterbeer.

"I can't believe it." She said finally, glancing over at Marie. "I just can't believe it. You and Snape, together? How could you, Marie? I mean, I heard the rumors, but paid them no mind. I figured it was just jealous gossip."

"It's not like I wanted to, you know." Marie protested weakly. "It happened because of the potion that Eugenia slipped me. You saw what happened."

"But you slept with Snape!" Hermione said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. "How could you? He was our professor! That…that's just…revolting!"

Luna sipped her butterbeer, eyes wide as she watched the discussion.

"I…yes, I did." Marie admitted, her cheeks reddening. "It was…oh, Merlin, Hermione, I don't understand why, but he's not as bad as you think he is…"

"Does that mean he's good…in bed?" Luna said softly, almost to herself. "I've always been a bit curious about that kind of thing."

Marie blushed crimson, covering her face with her hands and shutting her eyes tightly with a strangled groan of despair. This was going all wrong, in all kinds of ways.

"Marie, he's a Death Eater, in case you forgot." Hermione said bluntly, ignoring Luna's comment. "You heard what Madam Lestrange said, he's the favored servant—"

"Former Death Eater." Marie replied hotly. "It's not like you think. He's…"

She bit her lip sharply, realizing what she'd almost said in her rush to defend Severus.

_He's helping the headmaster._

_He's sacrificing so much just to protect us all._

_He might not survive through the next year…_

She closed her eyes, driving the thought of such things from her mind.

_That was close. I mustn't give him away_, Marie thought, _I have to play my part. Merlin, I can't tell them…the truth. It would endanger both of us. All of us._

_I'm sorry, Hermione, Luna. I hate to lie to you, to deceive you. I can't tell you the truth. I have to keep up the charade that Severus and I made up._

_I have to keep pretending the man that I love is a monster._

_But I will not speak ill…of him. I can't._

"Hermione, Severus is a former Death Eater." She said. "Bellatrix was trying to get you to believe he's still with them. Do you believe someone that we know is working with the Dark Lord? Severus was pardoned by the Wizengamot, Headmaster Dumbledore vouched for him…"

"How can you defend him?" Hermione snapped. "Marie, he's abused you. Both of us, and others, saw the bruises and scratches he marked you with, witnessed him mistreating you in class. He's terrified and mocked all of us. It's almost as if you have Stockholm syndrome. Are you in love with him or something?"

"No! Severus and I…" Marie blushed.

"Stockholm syndrome?" Luna frowned, confusion on her face.

"Listen to yourself, Marie!" Hermione said angrily. "'Severus'? So, you're on a first name basis now? What's the truth? Did he seduce you, or did you go willingly to him?"

"I…" Marie said weakly, her face reddening. "Hermione, I don't…"

Hermione glared at her frostily for a moment, then got up.

"I think I've heard quite enough." She said, glancing at Luna. "I don't want to discuss this anymore. Are you coming?"

"Not just yet." Luna said, toying with the label on her bottle of butterbeer. "I'll see you later, Hermione. I still need to go by Flourish and Blott's to get a few things."

With a curt nod, Hermione left. Marie was looking down at her hands, wishing that Luna had gone with her.

They sat in silence for a long time, with Luna quietly enjoying her butterbeer and Marie fidgeting in her chair. Finally, Marie could take no more of it.

"So…how is school going?" she asked hesitantly. "Did you get good marks?"

"Really good." Luna said softly. "I have Exceeds Expectations in everything but…Potions. I always have trouble in that subject. Since you graduated, I don't really have anyone to help me with it."

"Oh." Marie murmured, blushing again. "Sorry."

"You know, I don't dislike Professor Snape."

"You…you don't?"

"No. He's very strict, but he really isn't a bad man. He cares about us; he doesn't want any of us to be harmed. Potions class can be dangerous if you're not careful."

Marie swallowed nervously, picking at a loose thread on her robes. Luna was humming softly, not looking at her, but Marie felt like she was being watched all the same.

"I…you don't believe that nonsense, do you?" Marie asked, blushing again.

"What nonsense?" Luna asked, raising her eyebrows.

"About…you know…about Professor Snape and me."

For a moment, Marie thought the other witch didn't hear any of the previous conversation. Luna just looked at her blankly, frowning, as if she were in deep thought. Then she giggled, her eyes lighting up with mirth.

"Oh!" Luna exclaimed, laughing. "That bit about you being in love with Snape! Oh, that's just too silly to even entertain the notion. Hermione, she's just been under a lot of stress lately. You know how hard she pushes herself when finals are coming up, she's probably still out of sorts over that. Don't mind her."

Marie smiled weakly, as Luna signaled to the waiter for a few more butterbeers.

"Some cheese, Stilton or Gruyere, and some crackers, too." She said, smiling at the waiter. "I'm a bit peckish, been shopping most of the day. How about you, Marie? Are you hungry?"

Marie shook her head.

Once the waiter had gone, Luna turned back to Marie, her expression turning more serious, her blue eyes sharp and penetrating.

"Unless, of course, what Hermione said is true." She said softly. "Judging by how deeply you're blushing, I'm willing to bet every Galleon I have that it is."

By now, Marie was in full blown panic, desperately looking for some way to escape, though she forced herself to sit perfectly still and be calm. She tried to defend herself, but every time she began to speak, she could not. All she could seem to do was sit there in her chair, blushing even more.

"So it is true." Luna said quietly, her voice neutral. "I suspected as much."

The waiter came up to the table with their butterbeers and a plate laden with cheese and crackers. Marie sat quietly, biting her lip, as he placed the items before them on the table, then left.

"Oh, come on, Marie." Luna sighed, picking up a cracker and forking a bit of cheese onto it. "You look rather pale. Eat something before you faint, will you?"

Obediently, Marie accepted the cracker with cheese, though it tasted like cardboard to her at the moment. Picking up the fresh bottle of butterbeer, she took a drink to wash it down. Luna prepared a cracker for herself and ate it with relish.

"Now," Luna said calmly, glancing over at her, "I'm your friend, okay? That means I'm on your side. If you are in love with someone, then, I'm happy for you, so long as they treat you well."

"What if it's…Snape?" Marie asked hesitantly.

"What if it is?" Luna replied, taking a sip of butterbeer. "You're both of age. No big deal. You're no longer his student, so that's no longer a problem. If you're happy, and he's happy, it's nobody's business except for yours and his."

"Luna, you do realize what's going on, right? The Dark Lord has returned. We just had a run-in with a bunch of Death Eaters, for Merlin's sake!"

"So? Lucky for us that you know Snape, then." Luna said, leaning closer. "This sure explains a lot about how you've behaving the past few years. You miss him now that you've gone off to university, don't you?"

ooOoo

June 24, 1996, shortly after midnight ~

Her parents were off to Brussels this weekend, but would be home Sunday morning, so she'd parted ways with Luna Saturday evening, unwilling to chance another confrontation with Hermione or the others. Letting herself into her parents' townhouse, she had fixed a light supper and went to bed in the guest bedroom early, wishing that she wasn't spending the night alone in an empty flat. She was nearly asleep when there was a loud crash downstairs.

Her eyes flew open, one hand instinctively reaching for her wand as she realized what had awakened her. The floo in the sitting room of her parent's house had activated, and she could hear someone coming up the stairs. Nervously, Marie slid out of the bed, her wand ready, and her feet coming to rest on the floor just as the door of her bedroom swung open. Before she could begin a wand motion, her hand was batted away by a shadowy figure that grabbed her, crushing her to itself in a tight embrace.

"Foolish girl!" Severus choked out, holding her tightly to him. "You foolish, naive girl!"

"Severus…" Marie sobbed, her hands coming up to pull herself closer to him. She closed her eyes with a sigh as relief and warmth surged through her from the close contact.

"Lumos!" He snapped, running his hands over her as the candles in the room blazed into life. "Are you injured? Are you hurt? I swear, if she's harmed a single hair on your head, I'll hex her into oblivion…"

"I'm fine, Severus." Marie whispered. "Really I am. She roughed me up a little, but I'm okay."

By now, he had spotted the thin pink scar high on her cheekbone. His face twisted in pain, his thumb coming up to gently touch it.

"Hermione healed it." She said, reaching up to catch his hand. "I'm fine, really I am."

"I suppose I owe her for that." He sighed, leaning down to kiss her gently on the forehead. "Insufferable Gryffindors. Just don't tell her I'm grateful, I don't think I could bear it."

Remembering the confrontation with Hermione the day before, she drew back from him.

"Severus, I've made a mess of things." She sighed. "Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood, they both know we were sleeping together."

"What else do they know?"

"Not much, really. I didn't give details. Hermione still thinks I was the victim, that you seduced me, so our story is still holding up with her alright. Luna…well, I don't know what Luna thinks, but I also don't think she'd tell tales on a fellow housemate. At least, I hope so."

"We'll just have to see how things go." He said softly, kissing her forehead. "I'm just glad that you're alright. When I heard what had happened, I came as soon as I could."

"My parents are gone." Marie said, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt nervously. "Can you stay with me tonight? Please?"

"Given the circumstances, yes." Severus nodded. "I don't want you to be alone."

"Good."

"Listen to me, Marie." He said soberly, his dark eyes full of concern. "You must be more careful. You can't…Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmeade…all of those places aren't safe for you, now that Bellatrix knows your identity. She'll be watching for you now. This townhouse is unplottable, so it is safe, as is Lores University…but you mustn't go to Hogwarts, or anywhere near it."

"Okay." She nodded contritely, tears sparkling in her eyes now. "I'm sorry, Severus. I didn't think we might run into Death Eaters so close to the school."

ooOoo

What seemed to be only a few hours later, there was a soft knock at the door.

"Marie?"

"Oui, Papa?" Marie called out, clutching the duvet to her chin.

"It is almost ten. Your mother has fixed breakfast for you."

"Merci, Papa. I'll be down in a moment."

After a long pause, her father spoke again.

"Severus, he is welcome, also." He said. "Your mother made….a breakfast anglais for him. You…well, just come down as soon as you can."

After her father's footsteps faded away, Severus reached over, pulling the covers from over Marie's head.

"You can stop hiding now." He smirked.

"It's embarrassing!" She whispered, blushing. "How did he know you were here?"

"My traveling cloak is probably somewhere on the floor of the living room" He replied. "I was in a bit of a rush to see if you were alright this morning. It's nothing to fret about, we've slept together here before."

"Well, my papa never came to wake us up, either."

"I surrender." Severus sighed, running his hand down her bare back, smirking as she shivered.

"Stop that." Marie huffed, swatting at his hand. "We need to get up, much as I'd rather stay in bed with you."

They dressed and he helped her make the bed, Marie growing more despondent by the minute.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." She said, carefully plumping a pillow and putting it at the head of the bed.

"Nonsense. You've plumped that pillow three times now. I don't think it can be fluffed up any more."

"I'm just worried." Marie sighed, then looked up at him. "When will I be able to see you again?"

"I'm not sure." Severus said gently. "I'll come see you when I can, but we can't be found out. I…I don't want the Dark Lord to know where you are. Please, promise me, no more adventures."

"No more adventures." She nodded. "Cross my heart. I'll stay at Lores…if you promise to come see me when you can."

"I…I'll try. I can't promise anything." He frowned. "I'll come see you when I can slip away, though. Just bear in mind that…things are getting busy for me."

"We'd best be getting downstairs." Marie sighed, reluctantly opening the door.

ooOoo

May 18, 1997~

She was bent over her advanced Arithmancy textbook, trying to prepare for her fall classes, when the knock came at her door. With a sigh of disgust, Marie marked her place and went to the door.

_I wonder who it might be_, she thought gloomily. _I'm pretty sure it isn't Severus, though. He can't risk coming here._

Drawing her wand and holding it ready behind her back, she cautiously stood to one side of the door.

"Who is it?" She asked, preparing a hex just in case.

"Your cousin Fleur, you silly goose!" A familiar voice laughed. "Let me in!"

She did a quick spell to check, and then opened the door to find her cousin standing there with a look of bemusement.

"Why the spell?" Fleur smirked, trying to peer around her. "Are you hiding a boy in there?"

"Um, no. No, I was just studying." Marie said quickly. "Come on in."

"I brought your invite to the wedding!" Fleur said, pulling an envelope from her robe pocket and handing it to her. "I want you to be one of the bridesmaids. You'll need a dress, and some shoes, too."

"Where is it again?"

"The Burrow." Fleur said, a frown flitting across her face. "I'm just glad we won't be living there. Chaos, all the time. Honestly, I adore Mr. Weasley, but he does go on about Muggle things, all the time. I'm not sure if Mrs. Weasley likes me that much, and I'm pretty sure the girl doesn't. I overheard her calling me 'Phlegm'. Honestly, so rude!"

"Ginny?" Marie laughed, relaxing a bit after she shut the door and warded it. "She'll come around, eventually. All that matters is that you and Bill are happy together, right?"

"What about you?" Asked her cousin, eyeing her appraisingly. "How is your love life these days?"

"I…I really don't have time to see anyone." Marie said hastily. "I have so much studying to do, and my classes to study for…"

"Really." Fleur said cooly, sitting down on the couch. "I've been reading the papers, Marie. I dismissed it as just gossip, lies spread by that hack, Rita Skeeter…but then I saw it in The Quibbler, too. Then at the Burrow the other day, Hermione said some interesting things about you seeing someone…"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Marie bluffed, certain that her blushing was giving her away.

For a long moment, her cousin just looked at her. Marie felt her blush deepening, and glanced away from her cousin's scrutiny.

"Anyway," Fleur said, as if she hadn't even mentioned the papers, "I came by to show you the dress I picked out for the bridesmaids."

Reaching into her bag, she removed several magical pictures, and passed them to Marie.

"What do you think? The lilac or the peach?" Fleur asked.

"They're both lovely." Marie said, nervously glancing at them. "The light green is pretty, too."

"Marie."

She glanced up, straight into Fleur's blue eyes, which were serious for a change.

"Be careful." Fleur said, her expression grave as she took hold of one of Marie's hands, squeezing it tightly. "I don't know what you've gotten mixed up in, but it can't be good. I hope you have good judgement, and that things turn out alright."

"I'll be fine." Marie said, giving what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze to her cousin's hands. "Really, I will."

Fleur watched her for a moment, and then nodded.

"I hope so." She said quietly.

ooOoo

July 1, 1997~

She woke up late, yawning as she pulled on her house coat. It was summer break, but the nights had been late for her. Barefoot, Marie padded down stairs to the kitchen, murmuring a greeting to the house elves in the kitchen as they prepared breakfast. They smoothly flowed around her, carrying trays and pots, heading to the dining room.

"Miss Marie need to wake up before come downstairs." Frowned Ella, the head house elf, as she floated a tray with some croissants and bagels, along with a cup of coffee, toward the table. "Miss will hurt herself coming down the stairs when not awake. Miss needs to keep her mind on what she is doing, not worry so much. And wear slippers on cold floor."

"Sorry, Ella." The young witch yawned as she followed Ella into the dining room. "I've just been studying a lot. There's not much else I can do."

With a flick of her wrist, the house elf summoned a plate and silverware for her young mistress.

"Are Papa and Mama up?" Marie asked.

"Madame is in the sitting room." Ella said briskly, neatly folding a napkin to place the silverware on. "Master Marcel did not come home last night. Should Ella tell her Miss is awake?"

Marie sat down, stifling another yawn and rubbing her eyes, and then nodded.

"Miss Marie studies too much." The house elf sniffed, setting a bowl of fruit next to her plate. "Perhaps the young miss needs to take fewer classes."

"Oh, Ella," Marie sighed, "I have to take them. Keeping busy is the only thing that helps. Besides, I have to prepare for the fall term, as well, so there's a lot of reading to do. I want to do well at Lores, finish my classes quickly and with good marks."

Ella frowned in disapproval, but walked away without saying anything.

"Marie?" Her mother said as Marie came into the dining room. "I wondered when you might be up. Merlin's sake, dear, you were up half the night!"

"I know, Mama, I know." She sighed. "Ella's already been lecturing me about it."

He mother sat down, picking up the post and the newspaper, which lay on the table between them. She frowned for a moment at the front page, and then quickly tucked the day's issue of The Daily Prophet under a stack of magazines and letters, setting it aside.

"Mum, do you mind if I read the paper?" Marie asked, finishing her toast and jam.

"Um…how about we talk instead?" Helene said, just a bit too quickly. "You are so busy; we never get to talk lately."

"I…well, okay…" Marie said, dropping a few cubes of sugar into her coffee and stirring it. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Oh, I was just wondering how your summer classes are going." Her mother said. "I was worried that your studying for your fall term might be hurting you during this one."

"Don't worry, Mama." Marie smiled. "I'm doing fine in my classes. It's just that I can hardly wait to take Transfiguration this fall. Professor LeClerc is teaching, you've heard of her, right?"

"Well, not really. I don't keep up with transfiguration, working in Arithmancy as I do…"

"Well, I…" Marie frowned, turning toward the doorway as a commotion erupted down the hall.

"Get out of my way! I know she's here!" Someone shouted in the hallway. "Move or I'll hex you!"

"What on earth!" Helene frowned, rising from her seat and her wand sliding from her sleeve into her hand.

The door to the dining room slammed open, and there stood Harry Potter, dirty and disheveled, with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley behind him. Ella and two other house elves were clinging to his coat, as was Ron, trying to slow Harry down.

"Young man," Helene snapped, pointing her wand at him, "I demand to know why you are barging into my house like this!"

"Harry, calm down!" Hermione said, putting herself between Harry and Marie. "You're being completely unreasonable! Get a hold of yourself before they call the Aurors on you! Please!"

"Harry, what on earth is going on?" Marie said, getting up from her seat.

He pointed a trembling finger at her face, his mouth working for a moment, green eyes filled with anger.

"You know where he is!" Harry shouted, shaking one of the house elves off. "Where is he?"

"It's alright, Ella." Helene said, motioning to the elves to let go.

"Who, Harry?" Marie asked nervously, her blue eyes wide.

"Snape!" The young wizard snapped viciously. "The bastard murdered Headmaster Dumbledore! Where is he?"

ooOoo

July 4, 1997~

The next few days had gone by in a whirlwind of activity.

There had been a major attack at Hogwarts by the Death Eaters, with Headmaster Dumbledore being one of the dead. The Ministry was investigating, but details were few; the wizarding world was buzzing with speculation as to what had happened.

Marie sat on her bed at her parent's house, feeling numb and weak. It was nearly midnight, and she had just returned with her parents from the hospital, where Fleur's fiancé, Bill Weasley, was recuperating after being attacked by the werewolf, Grayback.

She shuddered at the thought of how close he had been to her when they had been confronted by the death eaters in Diagon Alley.

Fleur had flatly refused to speak to her; glaring coldly at her when she came in to visit Bill with her parents. Aunt Apolline had apologized profusely when her cousin had stormed out of the room to wait in the hallway, though she had also asked what had happened between Marie and her daughter. Marie had simply shrugged, playing it off as if it were just a minor disagreement about the wedding plans. Her aunt nodded and changed the subject, but Marie suspected that she knew there was more to it.

Footsteps, then a soft knock at her door.

"Come in." Marie said.

The door opened, and her mother stepped into the room. Crossing the floor to the bed, she sat down next to her daughter, sliding an arm around her shoulders.

"Are you alright, ma chérie?" Helene asked, hugging her gently.

"Oui, Mama." She said softly.

"Why was Fleur so angry?"

Marie drew in a breath, and then let it out slowly, collecting her thoughts.

"In May, she came to Lores." She replied, worrying at a loose thread on her robes. "She asked me if there was any truth to what the papers said, about my being in a relationship with one of my professors."

"Do you think she suspects?"

"I'm pretty sure she does, Mama." Marie sighed. "She all but accused me of it. I denied it, and she brushed it off, changing the subject, but I'm pretty sure she knows."

Helene sat quietly for a moment, and then spoke again.

"Have you heard from him?" She asked.

"No. Not a word." Marie said, with a despondent sigh. "I'm worried about him, Mama."

ooOoo

July 7, 1997~

He entered the old house, empty as it was save for the old furniture and mostly painful memories. At least it was somewhere unplottable and thus relatively safe; somewhere he would not have to think about what had just recently come to pass, and the events leading up to it…and what was to come. Closing the door gently behind him, he hung up his traveling cloak on the hall tree and walked into the sitting room.

Marie was on the old couch, fast asleep, bundled up in her traveling cloak. Only a tuft of her unruly blond hair showed from under the fine black wool garment, a gift from him this past Christmas.

Severus closed his eyes tightly, leaning against the door frame with a weary sigh.

_Somehow, this does not surprise me_, he thought. _Not one bit._

He quietly walked over to her, kneeling next to the couch. Her face was red and puffy, as were her closed eyelids—she'd been crying.

_Because of me_, he thought with a twinge of guilt. _All of this because of me…and this is only the beginning of her suffering._

_In the next few months, things will be getting much, much worse._

_I should just go now, just leave._

_Better to end this now, and not prolong the agony for her._

_Don't wake her up._

He closed his eyes again, fearing what she might say. When he opened his eyes, her eyes were open, light blue orbs peering up at him, full of anguish, fear, and…what?

"I knew you'd come here." She whispered hoarsely, sniffing back tears as she sat up. "At least, I hoped you would."

"Yes." He said softly, hanging his head, his long hair hiding his face from her.

"Harry Potter…came to my parent's house." Marie said gently, a tear rolling down her cheek. "He…he told me what happened…what you did."

"I see." Severus sighed, closing his eyes tightly.

"Why?" She asked, sitting up on the couch.

_So much in one little word_, he thought, closing his eyes for a moment. _Grief, despair, uncertainty, a childish wish that the unspeakable not had happened. _

_Because of me._

With an effort, he raised his eyes to look at her, sniffling a bit as tears began to roll down his cheeks also. He drew in a long, shuddering breath, buying time to think as much as anything else.

"Because…I made an unbreakable vow." Severus whispered. "Because I had to save my godson…but mostly…because…Albus asked me to do it."

"He asked you to kill him?"

Swallowing with some difficulty, he nodded.

"Yes. He…had donned a cursed ring, a clever trap laid for him by the Dark Lord. It was slowly killing him. He knew he had only a few more months left, and the pain would be excruciating. Thus…he asked me to do him…a kindness, of sorts."

"But why you?" She asked, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why did it have to be you that did it? Why not someone else?"

"Albus felt this was the best way…to protect me, to cement my place of trust within the ranks of the Dark Lord. Now, I am above suspicion…"

"No!" She shrieked, causing Severus to jump back slightly. "No! That hateful old man, always with his scheming and manipulating! Did he ever think of how you might feel? How much it would hurt you? It's not right!"

"Marie, please." He said, hesitantly raising a hand to her face, stopping just short of touching her. He wasn't sure how she might react.

She stood up, easily slipping past his outstretched hand, took her wand out, and went over to build a small fire in the hearth. Muttering angrily under her breath, she built the fire with some tinder and small logs then lit it with her wand.

"Severus, he's abused you for years." Marie said, blowing out the flame she'd conjured at the tip of her wand. "And now…now he's dead. He's dead, and you have to live with the consequences of his scheming and plotting. It's not fair."

"Marie, life is…"

"…not fair, I know, I know." She sighed, walking over to where he still knelt on the floor. "You told me, remember?"

Lowering herself to kneel before him, she slid her arms around him to hug him.

"I love you." She whispered, her breath tickling his ear. "Just remember that."

"I…love you, too." He replied, his voice so faint she could barely hear it.

She smiled, tucking her head into his neck, closing her eyes with a satisfied sigh.

"We have to be very careful." Severus said softly, drawing her closer in his embrace. "I fear this house may not be safe for us to meet in much longer. Several of the Death Eaters know its location. I may not even be able to meet you at all, at times."

"Does Bellatrix know where it is?"

"No."

"Good." Marie sighed in satisfaction. "Just keep yourself safe. I'll stay close to Lores or my parents' house, I promise."

"Thank you. Bellatrix is going mad trying to find you. I fear she's a bit obsessed with the idea of dragging you to a revel just to spite me."

"Not likely." She smirked. "I'm not going to be caught unawares again. Besides, Papa has been working with me on my wandless magic. I'm getting pretty good at dueling, so I tried out for the Lores team."

"That's good." He nodded. "I hope you are accepted. It would be a very useful skill to practice, especially the wandless magic."

"Well, it's not like I can play Quiddich anymore." Marie said sadly.

"I'm sorry." He said, hugging her. "It's not because of the seizures, is it? You haven't had one since when you were attending Hogwarts."

"No, no seizures." She sighed, idly toying with the buttons of his shirt. "My balance is still off, just enough that they won't let me fly. It's infuriating."

ooOoo

July 13, 1997~

She almost missed hearing the knock at her door, it was so soft. She finished folding the jumper in her hands, then put in her small suitcase that she was packing for the trip back to Lores. Walking to the door, she did a quick spell to detect who was at the door, then opened it.

Fleur stood there, biting her lip and shifting from one foot to another uncomfortably.

"May I come in?" She asked softly.

Marie nodded, and then stepped away from the door, walking over to the couch and sitting down. Fleur did likewise, at the opposite end. The silence in the room rapidly grew heavier, as Fleur seemed to be struggling to find the proper words.

"Before you say anything," Marie said gently, "I'm not angry with you. I understand why you were angry with me."

"I didn't know." Fleur said, blushing. "I'm sorry. I…Aunt Helene told me what happened. That you were slipped a potion, that somehow you became…bonded to Snape."

"Yes."

"I don't understand." Her cousin said, shaking her head in disbelief. "How could you bond with him? Only pure-blooded Veela can bond, you know that as well as I do. Mama and Aunt Helene, they did not bond with their husbands. How could this happen to you, with only one-quarter Veela blood, like me?"

"I don't know." Marie said, shrugging her shoulders. "One of the other girls at Hogwarts slipped me a potion in my pumpkin juice, trying to make me ugly so the boys—including her boyfriend—would stop paying me so much attention. Something was wrong with the potion, and I ended up bonded to Snape."

"Really?" Fleur said, shaking her head. "I hope they expelled the girl, that is dangerous. You could have been seriously injured, or died."

"Why are you here, Fleur?"

For a moment, the older witch was surprised, her eyes widening as she suddenly found herself feeling defensive. Her younger cousin was looking at her with a calm, confident gaze, which she found rather unsettling. After all, she'd always been the more confident of the two of them.

"I came to apologize to you." Fleur confessed, feeling a bit uneasy. "I can't say that I approve, but I understand that your situation is not your fault. At least you're free of him."

"Why would I want that?" Marie asked, a bitter, hard edge to her voice. Her blue eyes glinted dangerously. "He's my bond-mate. He's also a Death Eater."

"Marie, I—"

"Fleur, I can't help it that he's on the wrong side." Marie said, standing now with her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "I can't help it that I can't choose to be on that side, to be with him. He made the choice long before we met, and I know he regrets it now. Do you have any idea how I feel about it? Do you?"

By now, Marie was nearly shouting, and fairly shaking with rage as she glared down at her cousin. Fleur sat on the couch stunned, her eyes wide with shock as her cousin stood over her.

"I'll tell you how I feel, Fleur." Marie said gently, her lower lip trembling as tears began to flow. "It hurts. It hurts so badly, I feel like my heart is breaking in two, as if it is being torn from my chest, it hurts so bad. I feel as if I'll never see the man I love—yes, I said love—ever again. You still have Bill. Treasure him as long as you have him, even when he makes you so angry that you can't stand to be around him. I may never see Severus again, ever."

For a long moment, Fleur sat on the couch, still unable to speak as she watched Marie weep before her.

Then she rose to her feet, sliding her arms around her cousin to embrace her as Marie began to shudder convulsively as she cried.

"I'm sorry, Marie." Fleur whispered. "I didn't know."

Finally, after she could weep no more, Marie sat up shakily. As Fleur helped steady her, she accio'd a hanky to wipe her eyes.

"Listen, Fleur." She said, sniffling a bit. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to be your bridesmaid. It's your special day, and I don't want to attract any attention. I'll just sit in the back, with my parents. I'll probably use a Notice-Me-Not charm, just in case."

"But Marie, I want you to be in the wedding!"

"I can't, Fleur." Marie said, shaking her head. "I just can't. Not now that the rumor mill is in full swing about Severus and me. I don't want to ruin it for you."

Fleur looked at her for a long moment, frowning.

"What are you not telling me, Marie?" She said softly, a small smirk coming to her lips.

"Nothing." Marie said quickly, blushing. "I told you everything."

"Nonsense, I've known you forever." Her cousin said. "You've got a secret, don't you?"

Marie shook her head, glancing away.

"You're telling me the truth, I can tell that." Sighed Fleur. "But I can also tell there's something that you haven't—or can't tell me. Is that it? You can't tell me everything?'

"No." Marie answered, her voice so faint it could hardly be heard. "I…I can't tell you everything, Fleur. But things aren't as they seem."

Slowly, a smile formed on her cousin's face, a gentle, warm smile.

"I'll keep your secrets, Marie." Fleur said, reaching over to squeeze her hand affectionately. "I promise. But once we've beaten the Dark Lord, promise me that you'll tell me everything. Okay?"

"I promise." Marie nodded, biting her lip.

_If we survive this_, she thought gloomily.

ooOoo

August 1, 1997~

She laid on the ground, dazed, her ears ringing from the concussion of the Bombarda spell. Shadowy figures flitted past her, pursued by members of the wedding party. With an effort, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, scanning the ground for her wand.

Footsteps, coming closer, crunching in the ashes and dried grass. She prepared her spell, pointing her wand with an unsteady hand in the general direction of the approaching shadow. Blinking her eyes, she swiped her sleeve across her face to clear them, and ended up falling backward.

"Stop." Severus said gently, leaning down over her. "Stop fighting me."

"Severus!" Marie whispered, glaring up at him. "You were—"

"I am supposedly away on other business." He said sharply, taking out his wand.

"Get away from me!" She hissed, scooting backward.

_Where the hell is my wand?_ Marie thought, feeling around herself. _It was just in my hand a moment ago!_

"Hold still, damn it!" Severus growled, taking her chin firmly in his hand. "You've got a huge gash in your forehead."

Biting her lip at the stinging as he healed the cut, she obeyed, though she fumed a bit at being manhandled so. After healing the cut, he carefully examined her, showing quite a bit of interest in her left ear.

"This may sting a bit." He said gently, running his wand over the left side of her head.

It was rather the understatement. Marie felt herself go faint, blackness swimming in front of her eyes as the pain took her breath for a moment. She clutched at his hand, her nails biting into his flesh as she struggled not to scream.

Then, it was over with, with her panting with relief as she leaned weakly against him.

"Hopefully, you won't lose all of your hearing on that side." He said, his lips moving against her hair. "Best that you go see a healer, and soon. I did what I could."

Marie nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. After several minutes, she was able to speak again.

"How…bad is it?" She asked, dreading the answer.

"Not bad." Severus said, holding her a bit closer. "I was able to…reattach your ear. The damage to your eardrum was…well, I wouldn't be surprised if you were deaf on that side. Go see a healer as soon as you can, perhaps they can do something to restore some of it."

"Severus…if you're not supposed to be here, then…why are you here?"

"I knew you would be here. I had a bad feeling about this, and figured it would be best if I was nearby. I didn't participate in the attack, I assure you."

"That's a relief." She sighed. "How soon do you have to leave?"

"Now, probably." He replied, gently lifting her chin to kiss her gently. "I will be missed if I am not present. Take care, and go see a healer."

"This is what you meant," Marie said, biting her lip, "that we wouldn't get to see each other. Isn't it?"

"Yes." Severus nodded. "I'm sorry. The potion will have to do for now, until…this is over, whatever the outcome is."

"Be careful." She whispered.

He nodded, and then walked away, vanishing with a _crack_ in a swirl of black smoke.

ooOoo

October 6, 1997~

The months had passed since that August night with little incident, but no contact from Severus. Marie marked her place in her textbook—Moore's Potions, Advanced Concepts, 114th edition—then closed the book and set it aside on the couch.

_I can't seem to study today anyway_, she thought. _Certainly not potions, that's for sure. It reminds me more than anything…of him._

Fleur still wasn't speaking to her, though she had sent an owl with a thank-you note for the silver service that Marie had given her and Bill as a wedding gift. Publicly, her cousin had denounced Severus when he was appointed Headmaster at Hogwarts by the Death Eater controlled Ministry of Magic. Privately, she received an owl from Fleur nearly every week, checking on her welfare.

_Marie, I'm sorry that I said what I did in the interview with Rita Skeeter_, the first note the little screech owl had brought her had said. _I just did as you suggested. Please don't take it too personally. I know how protective you are of him._

She sighed, rising from the couch to go make some tea. Filling the kettle and setting it on the burner after lighting it with her wand. Opening the cabinet to get the tea down, ladling the loose tea into the tea ball. Little movements, practiced motions that served to calm her frayed nerves, stretched thin over the months of waiting. As she waited on the kettle to boil, she caught herself idly toying with her left ear, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the thin irregular scar that marked where it had been nearly torn from her head in the explosion at the Burrow.

_Does he ever think of me?_ She wondered, frowning a bit.

The kettle had begun to whistle. She turned off the burner, picking it up to pour the steaming water into her cup, watching it darken as the tea leaves gave it their color and flavor.

_Darjeeling. One of his favorites…I remember that._

With a sigh of disgust, she set the kettle back on the unlit burner.

_Does everything have to remind me of him? _She thought, giving in to despair for a moment, blinking back tears.

ooOoo

November passed, then December. Still nothing.

Her grades had slipped a bit, nothing serious, but she had only earned an 'Acceptable Work' in Advanced Potions, earning her a stern lecture from the Headmistress.

"If you are planning to ever teach Potions," She had said, "you will have to do better than this, Mademoiselle Delacour. You haven't been seeing a boy on the weekends, have you?"

_No, Madame,_ she thought despondently. _No boy. Not even my man._

She was lounging in her nightgown on her bed late one evening in late December, revising her Transfiguration notes when she heard the floo activate in the sitting room. Frowning, she got up, picking up her wand as she went, and went to see who was calling at this late hour.

Then Severus stepped out of the green fire, brushing ash off his cloak.

In an instant, she was on him.

"You bastard!" She shrieked, dropping her wand to pound him with her fists. "Fils de pute! How dare you come here like this, after leaving me alone all this time!"

"Stop it." He said, easily catching her hands, shifting his hips when she tried to knee him in the groin.

By now, she was weeping, falling weakly against him. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him. She pushed against him ineffectively, her strength seemingly drained from her, until she slid her arms around him, sagging against him as she cried.

"I'm sorry." Severus said softly, his breath warm on her neck as he held her close. "I…haven't been able to get away until now. I just recently managed to connect our floos."

"The floo in the Headmaster's office." She whispered, sniffling.

"Yes."

"How long can you stay?"

"I'll need to be back before five in the morning." He sighed, and then made a sour face. "Amycus Carrow takes great delight in trying to wake me in the mornings, though he seldom gets up himself before six."

Looking up at him, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"Come on, then." Marie whispered, leading him to her bedroom.

ooOoo

January 11, 1998~

"You seem a bit more cheerful lately." Fleur said, after taking a sip of tea.

"Yes." Marie nodded.

Her cousin had surprised her with a visit, knocking on her door one Saturday morning as she was having her breakfast. After finishing up, she'd left the cleaning up to the house elves to take tea with Fleur and visit.

"So I take it you've had a…visitor that cheered you up?"

Blushing slightly, Marie nodded again.

"Oh, please, Marie." Fleur laughed, lightly touching her on the arm. "Don't be embarrassed. If he makes you happy, then I'm satisfied with it."

"He can't come see me very often, and we have to be careful." She sighed in frustration, frowning. "The Carrows keep a close eye on him. He nearly got caught coming back last weekend, so he can't come this weekend, probably for a few months even."

"You be careful, Marie." Her cousin said softly. "Tell Sev…him to be careful, too. I've heard enough to know; those Carrows are a rotten bunch. The whole family is depraved, completely loyal…to the Dark Lord. He needs to watch his back with them around."

Marie nodded soberly.

ooOoo

April 27, 1998~

She anxiously paced the floor, her shoes kicking up tiny puffs of dust from the floor, shivering in spite of the fire she'd built in the fireplace. Back and forth, glancing nervously every so often at the door, then the fireplace. She couldn't recall if he could floo directly here; indeed, it had been so long that she suspected that it may have been disconnected, or perhaps that was too risky. After all, they could not afford to raise any suspicion at this point. The stakes were just too high.

At last, the flames changed to green, and he stepped through, brushing the floo ash off of his traveling cloak. He barely turned toward her before she launched herself at him, grabbing him around the waist and hugging him tightly as she broke down in tears.

_Tears of joy?_ He mused, wrapping his arms around her as she shuddered against him, letting her cry herself out, as was her wont lately during these rare moments they could steal.

_Perhaps relief…or fear._

Finally she subsided, pulling back slightly to produce her hanky and dab at her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Marie sniffled. "You didn't take such a risk to come here to hear me bawl like a baby."

"It's alright." Severus said, raising his hand to gently stroke her cheek. Marie caught his hand, pressing her lips to it, and then looked up at him, her eyes filled with concern.

"You've lost weight." She scolded lightly. "You're not taking care of yourself."

"I have…much on my mind these days."

"What news is there…" she asked, tucking away her hanky, "…at least, what news that you can safely share with me?"

"Our time grows short."

"I know. I feel it…" she placed her hand over her heart, "…I feel it here. I'm afraid, Severus. I know that the Dark Lord will move soon."

He closed his eyes, and then nodded slowly.

"Will you be alright?" He said softly, opening his eyes.

"I'll have to be, won't I?" She smiled bravely. "I…I have my potion. Poppy says that she'll make sure that I always have enough until…it doesn't help anymore. I'll have to decide then…what will happen. If I'm able to, that is."

"How long…will it work?"

"Hard to say." She shrugged, biting her lip and toying with one of his shirt buttons. "Six months…a year? Mama said that Grandmother lasted about…fourteen months, total."

He closed his eyes again, willing the terrible truth of her doom away, wishing it were not so. Knowing in his heart that decisions made long ago by two impetuous teenagers, one longing for power and respect, and one motivated by jealousy, had led to this end.

_I wish I'd never sworn allegiance_, he thought, sighing deeply. _That I'd never taken the mark. Now, I am doomed…and so is she, because of that jealous girl and that horribly botched potion. If that would not have happened, she would live…_

"Severus." She said, tugging on his cloak. "Take this off."

"What?" He asked, blinking in surprise.

"Your cloak. Spread it out on the floor." Marie said, taking out her wand and casting a charm to repel dirt on his traveling cloak.

He undid the clasps, and she took the cloak from him, spreading it in front of the fireplace.

"I don't think we have time—"

"We won't if you keep talking." She said, her nimble fingers undoing his shirt buttons. "This might be our last time together."

"But…Marie, we…"

"Severus." She hissed, "Please, for the love of Merlin, would you just hush!"

Kissing him hungrily, she pulled him to the floor.

ooOoo

May 2, 1998, late evening~

He stood in the window, high above the courtyard, watching the orderly procession of the students to the Great Hall. He had called them there to gather them in one place, the safest place that he could think of for them to stay until help arrived. His expression was somber and gloomy, reflecting the turmoil within his mind.

_All too soon, some of these children will be dead_, Snape thought morosely as he watched them pass his vantage point. _Even now, the Death Eaters assemble in the forest surrounding Hogwarts._

_Potter and the Aurors will be here soon. Then, I will be driven away, the disgraced former Headmaster, to rejoin the Death Eaters. To take my place at the right hand of the Dark Lord, his ever loyal servant, so I may deliver the Elder Wand into his hands._

For the hundredth time tonight, he ran his hand over the concealed wand in his pocket, safely tucked away in a concealed pocket that masked its magical signature.

"You are to help Harry, one last time, Severus." Dumbledore had said to him, only a few days before he had taken the Headmaster's life. "If he fails, perhaps Tom will be weakened enough, that if you are in the right spot at the right time, you can finish him."

_Risky, even perhaps impossible_, Snape thought gloomily. _Surely my luck has nearly run out by now._

_Harry should be strong enough now._

_I hope so, at least._

_Minerva will get Harry out of the way when he tries to confront me_, he thought, closing his eyes as he went over their plan in his mind. _Once he is safely behind her, we will duel. _

_Three times, she will cast, three times, I will block it. _

_She will pause for a heartbeat, as if she is unsure of herself, marking with her eyes for me the exact location of Amycus and his sister, and then cast the last spell. Timing is critical, to split the force of it without blunting its power, to aim it at the two Carrows precisely._

_So many variables, so many ways this can go wrong._

_Our timing must be perfect._

_If not, this is all for naught._

He sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily.

_At least she is safe, for now._

Touching another hidden pocket, near his heart, the slight crackle of parchment and reassuring weight of a keyring, he began to walk toward the staircase. Toward what would be the last few hours of his life.

ooOoo

May 3, 1998, approximately 2:30 a.m. ~

She was walking in one of the upper hallways of the Lores University women's dormitory, her golden prefect's badge glittering on her student robes. It had been fairly quiet tonight; she'd only caught three fellow students trying to sneak out around midnight to go to town. Delivering a scolding, she took points and sent them back to their rooms.

Rubbing her eyes wearily, she sighed. Each of the prefects had to patrol their dorm at night, mainly to keep students safe with the recent increase in Death Eater activity. The young women at the school chafed under the restrictions, but after several attacks in the villages nearby, the decision was made to not allow anyone to leave the campus. Lores was unplottable, with multiple layers of magical and natural defenses, and hidden away in an enchanted forest, but Headmistress Gardiner still demanded that everyone be vigilant.

She's almost as paranoid as Moody, Marie thought sourly, walking down the stairs to the second floor, where her fellow prefect's room was. Another thirty minutes, and Amelie would have to take over, until six. This would be their routine until next month, when Marie would take the early morning shift.

Marie was only three steps from the bottom of the stairs when it hit her; a massive onslaught of cramping pain that took her breath and turned her legs to jelly. When it subsided, she found herself at the bottom of the stairs, sobbing in agony.

_Oh, Merlin, this hurts_, she thought, gritting her teeth to choke back the scream that threatened to escape her.

Gradually, it abated somewhat, though she was breathing in shallow, short gasps. Slipping her hand into the pocket of her robes, her hand closed on a vial. She uncorked it, putting it to her mouth and swallowing the contents, shuddering at the taste of it.

_Ugh. He had to make it taste horrible, didn't he? I'll have to remember to ask Poppy about doing something about the taste; perhaps add something neutral like peppermint leaves…_

With a sigh, she got up carefully, going over to the wall and leaning weakly against it as she waited for the potion to take effect. Finally, after a few minutes, the pain subsided to a tolerable level. She struggled to her feet, leaning weakly against the wall as she caught her breath.

_Whew, that was not fun at all, _she thought, walking carefully down the hallway._ I'd better go knock on Amelie's door, make sure she didn't oversleep again. I know she had a date with Michael last night._

As she reached Amelie's room, she raised her hand to knock on the door.

At the third rap of her knuckles on the wood, her legs went out from under her as she blacked out, crumpling into a heap on the floor.

ooOoo

May 7, 1998, 2 p.m. ~

With an effort, her eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus on the ornate pattern in the ceiling.

_Where am I?_ She wondered, completely disoriented.

"Marcel! Come in! She's awake."

_Mama…Papa…_

Her parents appeared at one side of the bed, her mother's eyes red and puffy from crying as she reached down and clutched Marie's hand tightly.

"Ma bichette…I was so worried, ma chérie." Helene sobbed, smoothing Marie's hair with her hand.

A wand moved over her, seeming to have come out of nowhere. Gradually she realized that Madam Courtland, the Head Medi-Witch at the school infirmary, was examining her.

"How are you feeling, Marie?" Madam Courtland asked, putting her wand away.

"I hurt." She whispered, shocked at how faint her voice was. "What…what happened? I remember knocking on Amelie's door…"

"You fainted, apparently." Madam Courtland said gently. "Miss Bertaut brought you to me."

The Medi-Witch went to a closet, retrieving a blanket and casting a warming charm on it. Walking back over to the bed, she carefully spread it over her shivering patient.

Slowly, their voices dimmed, until her eyes fluttered shut and she drifted back to unconsciousness.

ooOoo

May 9, 1998~

It was late evening, and Marcel Delacour found his wife still sitting by the fireplace, her book forgotten as she stared into the flames.

"Helene." He sighed, hanging up his coat on the hall tree. "You should have gone on to bed, ma chérie."

"I wanted to know what you found out." She said, setting her book aside. "You have been at the Ministry all day, Marcel. Is it really over?"

"It is. There are some scattered pockets of resistance, but the Aurors are rapidly cleaning those up. Most of the Death Eaters are dead now."

She sat for a moment quietly worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as he poured a glass of red wine, then came over to sit down on the couch with a sigh.

"What about…Professor Snape? Is there any word of him?"

"Nothing, other than he was attacked by Nagini." He said hesitantly, taking a sip of wine.

Helene's eyes widened.

"Marcel, this is why Marie fell ill, I know it." She said, trembling as she leaned forward in her chair. "She felt the attack on him through the bond. We must find out where he is, and if he is injured. Surely, someone has seen some sign of him."

"Impossible, Helene." He said, shaking his head. "There is no information on where he is. The Aurors could not find him anywhere after the battle at Hogwarts. Everything is a shambles; there has been much damage, with many casualties."

"But they have not found him?"

"Not a trace, I fear."

ooOoo

August 18, 1998~

They followed the Medi-witch down the hallway, both of them fairly panting as the younger witch kept a brisk pace.

"Slow down!" Helene demanded, catching the girl by her sleeve. "You mean to tell us that she's going to be discharged from the hospital wing already? Last week, she could hardly sit up, she was so weak!"

"Oui, Madame." The young Medi-witch said, slowing her pace a fraction. "Madam Courtland has released her from the wing, she may leave today. But the Headmistress wishes to speak with both of you, and Marie, before she leaves."

"I'm a bit confused." Marcel snapped. "This seems rather sudden."

By now, they had reached the door of Marie's hospital room. The Medi-witch opened it and waved them inside. Within the room, Headmistress Leclerc was engaged in a quiet discussion with Madame Courtland. Marie was fully dressed, sitting in a chair glaring defiantly at the two older witches. Seeing them, she stood up, a mixture of joy and indignation in her eyes.

"Mama! Papa!" Marie exclaimed, crossing the room to her surprised parents and hugging them tightly. "They want to expel me from school! For no good reason at all!"

"Actually Mademoiselle Delacour," said the Headmistress, "We have good reason to expel you. This is a respectable witches' school, and we forbid relations with men for good reason; it tends to be a considerable distraction to one's studies."

"But I haven't had relations—" Marie began to protest, then her eyes widened, her face slowly turning red.

"Mademoiselle, we had our suspicions when your nausea persisted after your fainting spells subsided." The Headmistress said dryly. "As part of normal intake, Madam Courtland performs a battery of blood tests, non-invasive of course. It was a simple matter to detect what was wrong with you. You are pregnant, and since we cannot allow such a thing to happen at this school, you will be expelled."

By now, Marie's face was pale, her defiance having drained away completely as she felt blindly behind her for her chair. Her legs seemed to have no strength in them at all. Her mother, seeing her distress, moved to stand beside her, taking hold of her arm and carefully guiding her back to her seat.

"This is an outrage." Marcel hissed, drawing himself up to his full height to glare down at the two witches.

"It is in the handbook, Monsieur." Madam LeClerc said crisply, meeting his glare with her own. "Page 32, section three—"

"Marcel!" Helene said, stepping between them, and then turning to look at her husband. "We can't keep the secret any longer. You have to tell them, or I will."

"Helene—"

"Alright, we lied." His wife said, turning back to the Headmistress. "We…falsified her application. She is bonded, in the Veela tradition. I'm sure you realize that this is recognized under wizarding law as being fully equivalent to magical bonding or marriage, of course."

"Then she will be expelled," the Headmistress replied, her voice cold and unfriendly, "for falsifying her application. Madame Delacour, your Veela charms are lost on me. I suggest you take your daughter and leave, at once."

"Wait."

Everyone in the room turned to look at Marcel.

"I'll tell you everything." He sighed heavily. "I…I must ask that everyone leave, except for the Headmistress and Madame Courtland. Helene, take Marie into the hallway. Wait for me in the lobby."

Helene gave her husband a worried glance, to which he responded by nodding sharply toward the door. With the assistance of the young Medi-witch, she helped Marie out of the room.

ooOoo

"I suppose you are going to beg us to reconsider." Sniffed the Headmistress.

"On the contrary." Marcel said, taking out his wand to cast _muffliato_ on the door. "But before we discuss this any further, I require a vow, as this involves official Ministry business."

"You are a desperate man." The Headmistress said softly, but took out her wand, nodding to Madame Courtland to follow suit.

"So, what is this about…and tell us the truth." She said, once the vow had taken affect. "No more deceptions, Monsieur."

"As my wife told you, our daughter is bonded, to one of our agents." Marcel said smoothly, hoping he could skip the details of exactly who the agent was. "The young man was working against the Dark Lord, and had managed to infiltrate his inner circle. They were bonded in a small private ceremony at our home, last year, rather than an official wedding. It was necessary to protect his cover, and our family."

At the mention of the Dark Lord, the two witches glanced nervously at each other.

"It was his wish that Marie attend your school, for the express reason of keeping her safe from harm. Examine your books, and you will find that the transfer of funds to pay her tuition, her room and board, and for her books…all of it came not from our accounts, but from another."

"We will need to check this." Said the Headmistress.

"Gringott's probably will not cooperate with you." Marcel sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Our agent was lost during the Battle of Hogwarts. Not a trace of him has been found, though we are searching for him. Do you understand why I sent my daughter out of the room? She still does not know that we consider him lost at this point, and I would not like her to know just yet."

The Headmistress hesitated a moment, then nodded.

"You fear he…is dead?" She asked quietly.

"Please, say nothing to Marie of it…" He sighed, "…but yes, I do not believe we will find him at this point. He was in the thick of the fighting, and faced the Dark Lord by himself shortly before Harry Potter killed Voldemort."

The two witches shuddered at Marcel's casual use of the Dark Lord's name, despite his demise.

"Monsieur Delacour." The Headmistress said, leaning forward in her chair, "You understand, we cannot have a…pregnant student here on campus. It would be most…inappropriate. Perhaps, we could defer her studies to a later date. After the child is born, she could resume her studies if she were to agree to live off campus. We could provide housing as agreed upon, but in an unplottable cottage nearby. Would that be an acceptable compromise?"

Marcel hesitated a moment, just to put on a good show, then nodded vigorously.

"That seems quite fair, Madame Headmistress." He said. "To expel her might attract too much attention to the school; stir too much curiosity in her classmates. Perhaps we can make some sort of arrangements to explain her sudden absence?"

"She could be assigned a special projects course, perhaps a research project."

"Of course." Interjected Madame Courtland. "I have a few things she could assist me with. I could owl the materials to her, she could complete the research and owl it back to me. It could be for extra credit on her transcripts."

"Indeed." Marcel nodded. "I implore you, though…no word to her about her…bond-mate until we find out what has happened to him. I am still hopeful that he might be found, and I do not want her to be upset unnecessarily. You understand, of course. She…loves him dearly."

"We will not speak a word of this to her, Monsieur." Replied the Headmistress, with the Medi-witch nodding in silent agreement. "Depending on how well she fares with her pregnancy, we will gladly accept her back in regular classes, though she will still have to live off campus. You understand our position on this, of course. We would much rather not have it known."

"But of course."

ooOoo

When he walked into the lobby of the hospital wing, Marie was fast asleep in a chair, her mother's traveling cloak draped over her as she slept. Helene pounced on him immediately.

"Marcel!" She hissed softly, grabbing a fistful of his robes. "What happened? What took you so long?"

"I made a deal with them." He whispered back, grasping her hand affectionately. "She will have to live off campus, but she will be assigned a "special project" to explain her absence, and will be allowed to attend classes on campus once the baby is born. Thank Merlin that this has happened between terms, or it might be a bit more difficult to explain to her fellow students."

"We have to find him," Helene said, glancing over at their sleeping daughter, "or she may not last long enough to have the baby."

ooOoo

September 20, 1998~

She looked up when the door opened, surprised that a visitor would come this late.

"You're working late these days." Lucius Malfoy said quietly, looking over the parchments and books spread across the desk.

"I have a lot to do lately." Narcissa sighed, wiping her quill off. "Our investments have been in sore need of attention, and I can at least do my correspondence while I sit with him."

"I can handle the investments." He asked, sitting down in a chair across the desk from her. "How is he doing?"

"The same. No change."

"Not even a little bit? It's been over four months."

She just shook her head, and then put aside her quill, capping the inkwell.

"Lucius, it is a thousand wonders that he's alive at all. His wounds were horrible."

"Do you think it's safe to move him yet?" Lucius asked. "The Aurors coming around makes me a bit nervous; seems like the get closer every day."

"They haven't given up yet? I thought they would have, after Harry's testimony in the Wizengamot."

"Evidently not." He frowned. "There are still some in the Ministry that aren't very forgiving, it seems."

Narcissa looked over at the tall, slender man on the bed, his neck swathed in bandages. He barely seemed to breathe as he lay there, unmoving. She took her time, mentally assessing his injuries and present state of healing.

"I think we could move him, if we were careful." She finally said. "Though it would be better to use a portkey, just to be safe. I'm afraid he might not survive the shock of side-along apparating."

"I agree." Lucius nodded, leaning on his cane. "I found the perfect place, up in the north. Wasn't even that expensive to purchase it, and already unplottable."

"What about how to get there?"

"Here is the only portkey." He said, handing her a small beaded bracelet. "If you're the only one who has it, he should be completely safe. The activating words are 'Isabella Drake'; 'Portus', even with a wand, won't activate it. No magical signature on it, it only becomes active when you touch your wand to it and speak the phrase."

"Alright." She said, sliding the bracelet onto her wrist.

"There's one more thing." He said softly, kneeling before her.

"What is it?" Narcissa asked, puzzled.

"I want you to use _Legilimency_ on me." Lucius said, his eyes steady on hers. "We have to protect him. If you use a memory charm on the part of my memory where I purchased the cottage, they can't find it. Only you must know, as the secret keeper, and you won't tell them."

ooOoo

She'd dreaded coming back all summer, putting off her return as long as possible. Now she stood in the bedroom that she shared with three other girls, looking at the heavy steamer trunk at the foot of her bed. Though it hadn't come home with her, it had haunted her dreams for the past three months, to the point where she was nearly exhausted from her guilty conscience gnawing at her.

Eugenia carefully knelt on the floor in front of it, touched her wand to the front in an intricate pattern, and was rewarded with a faint _click_. Rising slightly on her knees, she took hold of the lid with trembling hands, and eased the lid open.

They were still there, curled up like a serpent.

She drew in a deep, shuddering breath, biting her lip as she stared down at the fine black robes, marred by the rusty looking stains. They had begun to smell again, and making a face of disgust, she took her wand out to freshen up the charm to contain their odor.

_What should I do with them?_ She thought. _Should I throw them away?_

The pounding of feet coming up the stairs alerted her to the return of her roommates, and she quickly closed the lid of the trunk. She had barely tapped out the code to relock the trunk when Luna Lovegood came in, followed by three other girls.

"Hello, Eugenia!" Luna said cheerfully, giving her a brilliant smile. "I was afraid you weren't coming back this year!"

"Hi…Luna." She said hesitantly, turning her back on the trunk. "I was held up…um, had to go to a family…thing. You know how that is, well, I missed the train, and so mum brought me back."

"But we're all here now!" Grinned Maria Glossop. "We were going to meet some of the boys to play Exploding Snap later, after dinner! You up for it?"

"Um…sure." Eugenia said, feeling a bit queasy.

ooOoo

September 28, 1998~

Carefully slipping off her cloak, she hung it on the hall tree after shaking some of the rain off of it. It had been a long day at the library, working on her research project, and she was looking forward to a nice hot bath. Her back was hurting something fierce today, the growing baby seeming to be taking up what little room there was in her abdomen, crowding everything out of its way. She felt completely exhausted.

"Good evening, Miss Marie." Ella said primly from the kitchen doorway. "Miss has a package."

"A package?" Marie frowned, absently rubbing her swollen abdomen. "I wasn't expecting anything."

"Miss does not need to touch it." The house elf said, waving a spoon at her. "Ella examined it, no magic. Just magic residue. Was powerful magic, but not now. Ella can throw it away if Miss wants, nasty smelly old thing."

"Throw it away? Well, what is it?"

"Robes. But robes stink."

"Robes?" Marie said, her eyes widening. "What, did someone send me their dirty laundry?"

"Robes smell like death." Ella said with a sniff of disapproval. "Need to be burned."

She fairly ran to the sitting room to rip the brown paper off the package sitting on the coffee table.

ooOoo

She sat on the floor of the sitting room in front of the fireplace, broken china around her, her back against the couch. It seemed like she'd been crying forever; she felt completely drained. For some reason, her ears were ringing, drowning out nearly all sound. She heard voices dimly, as if from miles away, and she stirred, sitting up a bit amid the wreckage of what had once been a rather nice couch and coffee table. The wind was blowing through the window, fluttering the drapes a bit.

Shivering slightly, she watched the drapes flutter for what seemed hours.

"Where is she?"

"In sitting room. Threw plates, broke dishes. Very angry. Screaming. Wild magic broke window, not safe to go in yet, Madame. Too dangerous."

"Thank you, Ella. I'll be alright. Wait out here for me."

The door creaked open, and her mother cautiously poked her head in.

"Marie?" She said gently, eying the mess. "Are you alright, darling?"

There was a long silence in the room, then finally, a response.

"No." She whispered faintly, her voice raw from screaming with rage and despair when she'd opened the package.

"Can I come in?"

She nodded mutely, fresh tears dribbling down her cheeks. She numbly wondered where they'd come from, surely she didn't have any to spare by now.

_I feel like I'll never stop crying_, she thought miserably. _I'm going to cry forever._

_I'm just going to shrivel up and die._

Cautiously, Helene Delacour picked her way through the broken dishes to kneel beside her daughter, brushing aside a few sharp shards from the tea service. Marie was sitting up with her back against what remained of the couch, wrapped up in black wool robes that were well made, but tattered and frayed in spots. As Helene slid her arms around Marie in a gentle embrace, the smell reached her nose.

She recognized it right away; it was the smell of dried blood. She tried as best as she could to hide her grimace at the stench.

Marie's hand came out from under the robes, holding an envelope in a trembling hand.

"This…was in it." She sniffed, swiping at her eyes with her sleeve. "It was sealed inside a concealed inside pocket, along with a set of keys. Must have been magical, it revealed itself when I touched the robes."

Helene took the envelope carefully, glancing warily at her daughter.

"Open it up." Marie said. "Read it."

She opened the envelope, took the letter out, and began to read.

_Dearest Marie,_

_This was, perhaps, the most difficult letter of my life to write._

_The battle draws near. It is highly unlikely that I will survive it, and if you are reading this, odds are that I did not._

_Enclosed are the keys to my little house in Spinners End, such as it is, and the key to my vault at Gringott's. Go to my vault as soon as you can, for there is a small package there for you. I wish with all of my heart that I could have given you more than this. _

_The short few years we spent together were the closest I have been to happiness in my life, made all the more bittersweet by the certainty that it would come to an end all too soon._

_I pray that somehow you will continue to live for many more years, but if you do not, I await you in the afterlife._

_With all my love, _

_Severus._

Helene looked up at her daughter, her eyes wide with surprise.

"He's dead, Mama." Marie sobbed, leaning against her weakly. "He's really gone."

ooOoo

September 29, 1998~

On legs that felt like they were made of jelly, she walked alongside her mother into the imposing building, through the massive doors, across the tiled lobby of Gringott's. Marie glanced nervously around her as they made their way over to the end of the line for the clerks at their high counters. The goblins working at the bank had always made her rather uneasy, and today was no exception. The key for Severus' vault felt heavy in her hand, and she kept a firm grasp on it in the pocket of her robes.

Helene stood quietly beside her daughter, her arm held up so she could lean on it. Following the shock that Marie had received on opening the package that held Severus' cloak, she had been reluctant to let Marie go to the bank so soon, but her daughter had insisted that she was well enough to go. Putting up a brave front until they reached their destination, Marie had almost turned back at the last moment, but forced herself to go ahead with it.

Two large men, in the distinctive long coats of Aurors, emerged from an office down the hallway nearby, arguing with three goblins. Helene frowned at the impoliteness of the shorter Auror, as he angrily gestured at what appeared to be the senior goblin, his face beet red as he made his point. His companion put a calming hand on his arm, but he yanked it away, pointing his finger at the goblin, who was standing with his arms crossed in calm defiance.

"—warning you, Griphook!" They could faintly hear the Auror shouting as they shuffled closer to the counter in their line, "I'll come back with a warrant, and you'll open that dammed vault for me! You are interfering with an official investigation!"

"Duly noted, Auror McCall." Griphook said in a frosty, yet polite voice. "You might want to study up on Wizarding law regarding banks, however. We pride ourselves in maintaining strict confidentiality, as is required by that same law. I will tell you, once again, as a matter of professional courtesy, that there is no vault for Severus Snape here. You are wasting your time."

"You're lying!" McCall shouted, his face turning nearly purple with rage. "Severus Snape has a vault here, and as a person of interest in several capital crimes cases, it is subject to search!"

"Come on, William." The other Auror said, grabbing a handful of his partner's coat. "Let's get some air. Come on, now."

"You haven't heard the last of this, Griphook!" The florid-faced Auror shouted as his counterpart ushered him out the door. "I'll be back, with a warrant from the Wizengamot!"

"I look forward to our next chat." Griphook said quietly, turning away from the doorway to head to his office.

Helene glanced as Marie, who was trembling and quite pale.

"Are you alright, ma chérie?" She asked, conjuring a stool for her daughter to sit on. "Do you need some water?"

"I…I'm fine, Mama." Marie said, swallowing nervously. "What will happen…when I ask them to open…his vault?"

"I'm not sure, dear."

Time passed, and finally Marie timidly approached the counter when her turn came. A stern-looking goblin, bent over his ledger at his high counter, did not even deign to look at her.

"State your business." He said in a cold, somewhat bored voice.

"I would like to open my vault."

Peering at her over his reading glasses, he frowned.

"Your name, please."

"Marie Delacour."

"And do you have your key?"

"Yes, sir." She said, fumbling in the pocket of her robes. "Right here, sir."

She handed it up to him. Scaly, clawed fingers took the key from her shaky hand, and the goblin quietly examined the key. His eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch; a major change of expression for a goblin, then he slid off his stool and walked around the counter.

"Follow me, please." He said officiously, walking away. Marie and her mother followed, with Marie suppressing a fleeting smile at how short the goblin was.

_I've finally found someone I tower over_, she thought.

After the ride through the tunnels to the vault, she found herself standing in front of vault 621, clutching the key to herself.

"Lamp, please." The goblin said, holding his hand out. Her mother passed the lamp to the goblin, who hung it on a hook protruding from the stone wall.

"Key, please."

With a start, Marie came back to herself, holding the key out for the goblin to take. He turned and unlocked the door, swinging it open, then took the lamp and set it inside.

Marie gasped audibly, and her mother caught her as her knees began to give way.

It was more Galleons than she'd ever seen in one place, gleaming in the light of the lamp. The goblin walked to one of the piles, retrieving an envelope and a small emerald green box, bringing them to Marie and holding them out to her.

"My instructions are to give you these two items first." The goblin said.

"I…thank you, sir." Marie said softly, accepting the envelope and the box.

There was a minute twitch of the muscles near the goblin's mouth, and he nodded briskly.

"You…have our condolences." He said, stepping to one side so Marie could enter the vault.

ooOoo

Now she sat on her bed, alone after her mother had shooed Jenny out of the bedroom, insisting that she needed some privacy. The emerald green box and the envelope lay before her on the duvet. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, struggling to calm herself down. After several minutes, she picked up the envelope and opened it with unsteady hands, biting her lip. Unfolding the fine parchment, she read it slowly.

_All of this is yours, everything in this vault, everything in my house in Spinner's End. I put it all in your name the day after I was appointed Headmaster, for I knew that the end was near, and I wanted you to be taken care of. It was all I could do for you, and yet it seems utterly inadequate as I write this._

_I know this is not what you wanted, nor is it what I wanted._

_Gringott's brokerage will be contacting you soon after you access the vault with a portfolio of my investments, now yours. I entrust them to you with full confidence that you will manage them wisely._

_One last thing. In the box is my mother's engagement ring. We never had the chance to have a proper courtship, nor a proper wedding. I would be honored if you might choose to wear it._

_I must close now, and leave this here in the vault. I will not be returning here._

_All of my love,_

_Severus_

Swiping her sleeve across her eyes to blot away her tears, she set the letter aside and picked up the emerald green box. Carefully opening it, she found a simple silver ring, with an emerald framed between two smaller diamonds. With trembling fingers, she removed it from the box and slid it onto her left ring finger.

_A perfect fit_, she thought, fresh tears welling in her eyes. _He prepared for this day._

_He did all of this for me…and he never knew we were going to have a baby._

_Oh, Merlin…why does life have to be so unfair? Why do I have to bear this burden all alone?_

"Oh, Severus." She sobbed, collapsing onto the bed in grief. "Why did it have to end like this?"

Pulling his old robes over her, she cried for a long time, finally falling asleep. When her mother checked on her, Marie was curled up on the bed, her eyes puffy and red from crying, with one arm protectively cradling the unborn child that she carried within her.

Conjuring a chair to sit on next to the bed, Helene sat with her daughter through the night, one hand lightly touching Marie's hand as she slept.

ooOoo

January 2, 1999~

"Look at her, Marcel." Helene said softly, clutching her husband's arm. "She is perfect."

"Oui." Marcel said, patting her hand affectionately. "How is Marie? Is she awake yet?"

"No. The Medi-witch said the labor, it was difficult for her. She is exhausted."

"Will she be alright?" He asked, his eyes dark with concern.

"Oh, of course. She is just tired, it took a long time."

He nodded, looking down into the crib at his newborn granddaughter.

"She has black hair, and so curly." He said, smiling and holding a finger out for her to grasp in her tiny hand. "But her eyes, they are blue."

"Many babies, they have blue eyes."

"She will have blue eyes, like a Delacour. Not brown, like a Snape."

"Oh, never mind that! She is perfect," Helene beamed, reaching down to stroke the pink cheek. "Look, Marcel, dimples already! She is beautiful, no matter what color her eyes are, Marcel. Blue or brown eyes, she is lovely."

"Oui, she is beautiful."

ooOoo

Blinding white light.

He blinked, uncomfortable with the glare as his eyes gradually adjusted to the room.

Not blinding, perhaps, but still far too bright.

With an effort that taxed him severely, he raised his head slightly to look around him. The venture rewarded him with excruciating pain in his neck, causing him to grunt softly in discomfort.

_I'm…alive_, he thought woozily. _How?_

Footsteps, faint at first, then drawing closer to the bed. A woman leaning over him. He struggled to focus his eyes on her, and she gradually became more familiar. He blinked his eyes a few times to try to clear the haze.

Narcissa Malfoy.

"Hello, Severus." She said, smiling. "Glad to see you're still with us. How do you feel today?"

_Like shit_, he thought. His mouth seemed stuffed with cotton wool, unable to form words. He coughed, and pain lanced through his throat, bringing tears to his eyes and wringing another moan from him.

"Hold on." She said, conjuring a water glass and straw, and then filling it with water from her wand. Carefully, she held the straw to his lips so he could drink.

"Little sips. Not too much, you might choke."

_Marie._ He thought, his lips barely able to form her name, struggling to keep his eyes open as the darkness of unconsciousness pulled him under once again.

ooOoo

"Hey, sleepyhead."

Marie opened her eyes sleepily, looking over at the speaker.

Luna Lovegood sat there next to her bed, a warm smile on her face.

"Luna." Marie said gently, her voice so soft it could barely be heard.

"How are you feeling?" Luna said, leaning closer to the bed.

"Tired."

"I bet." Her friend said, stroking her cheek. "I went by the nursery and saw her. She's beautiful."

"Ten fingers, ten toes…and always hungry." Marie smiled, closing her eyes. Luna laughed softly.

They sat there for a moment, and then Luna spoke again.

"Hermione and Harry are out in the hallway." Luna said gently, "I think they want to talk to you, but they don't want to upset you. They sent me in to ask if it's okay."

"It's fine." Marie said, smiling lazily through the haze of painkilling potions. "Tell them to come in."

Luna walked over to the door, leaned outside for a moment, and then came back, Harry and Hermione behind her.

Harry remained behind Luna, looking very uncomfortable, while Hermione went around to the other side of the bed and carefully took her hand.

"Marie, I'm sorry I was so ugly to you last year." Hermione said, biting her lip nervously.

"It's alright."

"No, it isn't. I was wrong about Snape, and I was absolutely hateful-"

"'mione, there's no way you could have known." Marie said, her voice a bit stronger now. "I…I lied to you and Luna, because I had to protect Severus at the time. I don't hold it against you, because you didn't know."

"Marie…" Harry began, swallowing nervously. "I'm sorry about what happened to…to Severus. I told everyone who would listen, about what he sacrificed—"

"It's…it's okay, Harry." Marie smiled bravely, fighting back the tears. "I understand…that you were with him. At the end."

"Yes." Harry nodded.

"I have to know…did he suffer?" Marie asked, a note of despair creeping into her voice.

"No…I don't think so." Harry replied, pushing his glasses up. "He…gave me some memories. And that was it. He slipped away shortly after…Marie, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay." She said softly, blinking back tears. "I'm glad he didn't die alone. Thank you."

ooOoo

"Here you go." She said, handing him the envelope. "Plucked, not cut, just as you requested. But I don't understand why this is necessary. I don't see why I should have to cause him any more pain, given what he's already been through."

"Some sort of potion, she said." Lucius replied, tucking the envelope away. "Wasn't willing to elaborate on it. You know Poppy, she works on all kinds of things. Perhaps she's figured out a way to cure the paralysis somehow."

"She's not going to give us away, is she?" Narcissa asked, a touch of anxiety in her voice.

"No, of course not." He said. "She helped us with him when we first found him; do you think she would betray us now? Patient-healer privilege, and all that, you know. Besides, we need her help, since we need potions that only she can get for us."

"I suppose so."

"How is he doing?"

"Better. Still unable to speak. He gets tired easily, can't stay awake long at all. He sleeps for several days at a time."

"What about the paralysis? Can he move at all?"

"Only a little, his fingers and toes." Narcissa said. "But it's a huge improvement over how he was three months ago. I think it might eventually wear off, given enough time."

Lucius nodded approvingly.

"I got you some new books." He said, holding up a satchel that he'd already shrunk down for travel. "I hope you like them."

"Thank you. It gets pretty boring, just sitting around that tiny cottage. If you stayed there too long, you could go mad if you had nothing to occupy your mind."

"I trust the house elf helps, though."

"Quite a bit." She smiled. "I barely have to do anything for him these days."

"Do you think he could be left with the house elf alone?"

"No." Narcissa said, shaking her head. "He's too much for one house elf to handle, and we can't afford to spare two. You could do it, if you want to."

"Perhaps." He said, and then shook his head. "Then again, I'm still being watched."

"The Aurors never give up, do they?"

"No." Lucius spat in contempt. "Even after the Potter boy testified, they still want his head on a spike outside the gates of the Ministry. He deserves the Order of Merlin for what he did."

"I'm glad you're not angry at him for betraying…our former leader."

"I had to come to my senses at some point, Cissy." He sighed, shoulders drooping in dejection. "I was in the wrong to support him as long as I did, and it was only the intervention of Severus that got us out of the mess I created. I was a fool, a blind fool, and I nearly ruined our family."

"We owe him our lives." She said soberly, sliding an arm around his waist as they stood by the crackling fire.

ooOoo


	3. Chapter 3

November 12, 2004

Salem, Massachusetts~

"Marie, there's an owl for you. You need to open it; Rachel's been making me crazy about it. She thinks it's from her grandmother."

"Thank you, Jenny." She said, taking off her traveling cloak and hanging it up, then walking to the sitting room. Indeed, there was a small screech owl waiting patiently on the fireplace mantel, and it held its leg out toward her impatiently, a small rolled up parchment tied to its leg. Marie removed the parchment, and then fed the owl a treat.

Sitting down on the couch, she held the letter in one hand as five year old Rachel, ringlets of dark curly hair bouncing, ran into the sitting room to hug her tightly.

"Mama!" She squealed in delight. "Did you bring me anything?"

"Yes, darling." Marie smiled, tousling her daughter's unruly dark hair. "Go look in my bag, its open. The green sack in it, that's for you."

"m'kay!" Rachel grinned, sliding off her mother's lap to run to the hallway, where her treats were.

"Just one, Rachel!" Marie called after her, and then sighed, giving up to give the owl another treat and opening the window to let it go.

"I'm glad you're home." Said Jenny Scotten, the charms assistant professor she was sharing the apartment with. "I can hardly keep up with her. Never a dull moment, that's for sure."

"She is active, isn't she? I'm glad I charmed the bag so she can't eat more than three of the sweets I brought her."

"Sly of you, I'll have to remember that trick if I ever have kids." Jenny nodded, then looked at the rolled up parchment. ""Do you think it's from Hogwarts, about that job you applied for? That would be just awesome. I know you've been waiting to hear from them for months."

"Doesn't look official." Marie said, frowning as she broke the seal and unrolled the parchment. "There's no return address, either."

She had only read a few lines when her hand flew to her mouth and she sat down on the couch, turning quite pale.

"What is it?" Jenny asked, coming over to sit down next to her. "Marie! Is everything alright?"

Marie nodded, her breath coming in short gasps, her body trembling. She held out the parchment to her friend, her hand trembling.

"I…I have to go to England." Marie whispered. "Right away."

Taking it, Jenny read silently.

_Dear Marie,_

_I hope this letter finds you doing well. It was only recently that I heard that you were still alive; I feared that you had died during the war. I hope that you will not burn this immediately, upon seeing my name. I'm writing to you to tell you that Professor Snape is alive. Do not believe what they say in the papers. I know he is alive because I took him to the Hospital Wing the night that the Dark Lord was killed by Harry Potter. I gave him a bezoar and potions, and then disillusioned him so I could slip him past the Aurors._

_If you wish, I will meet you at a place of your choosing and draw the memory out so you may view it in a pensive, to prove that I am telling the truth. I want to help you, if I can._

_I hope that in some small way this makes things right between us, after what I did to you. I beg your forgiveness for my stupidity and cruelty._

_With humblest apologies,_

_Eugenia Hargrove_

ooOoo

November 14, 2004~

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait with you?" Jenny asked gently as they stood on the sidewalk, waiting. She'd insisted on accompanying Marie and Rachel to England, even though Marie had assured her that it wasn't necessary.

"I'll be alright." Marie said, in a voice that sounded calmer than she felt. "It's just nerves, that's all. I'll be fine, really I will."

After a fitful night trying to get some sleep, she'd skipped breakfast, despite Jenny's best efforts to make something for her. Even the smell of her daughter's oatmeal porridge had made her somewhat nauseous, and when her mother had offered to take Rachel for the day, she'd gratefully accepted.

Now they were standing on a corner in Diagon Alley, near The Leaky Cauldron. Despite Jenny's protests, Marie had agreed to meet Eugenia Hargrove at noon, to find out more about what had happened to Severus after the Battle of Hogwarts.

_Five years that he's been gone_, Marie thought, shivering in the cold. _Five years, seven months since I last saw him._

_And now, out of the blue, Eugenia is claiming that he survived somehow._

_Is she lying?_ She sighed, dismissing the idea.

_She obviously regrets what she did to me. But why wait five years to contact me?_

"I don't like this, Marie." Her flat mate said, interrupting her reverie. "He must be very important to you, to risk meeting with her, after what she did to you."

"More than you can imagine."

"So, what's he like?" Jenny said, crossing her arms. "Remember, I never got to go to Hogwarts, though I wanted to. My parents sent me to Salem Institute. I didn't know anything of Professor Snape, except by his reputation. I always heard he was scary."

"Oh. Sorry, I forgot, you don't know him all that well."

"No." Jenny smirked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I also heard he was dark, mysterious, and had a really sexy voice. So, 'fess up, Marie. Is he a good kisser? He looks like he might be."

"Jenny!" Marie exclaimed, blushing deeply, which only made Jenny grin even more.

"Details, girlfriend." Jenny laughed, poking her playfully in the arm with one finger. "They're important. You need to tell me all about it."

"I…here she comes." Marie said quickly, spotting Eugenia walking through the crowds toward them. "I'll see you later. Go on back to the flat after you pick up Rachel from day care, I shouldn't be too long."

"Keep your hand on the portkey, just in case." Jenny said, shooting a quick glance at the dark haired girl as she walked away. Within seconds, she had disillusioned herself, vanishing into the crowd of Saturday shoppers.

"Hello, Marie." Eugenia said, glancing in the direction that Jenny had gone. "It's alright if your friend stays, and there's no need for her to disillusion herself. I can understand if you don't trust me."

"Why should I trust you?" Marie asked, her hands in her pockets. One on the portkey, the other on her wand as she watched Eugenia warily.

Eugenia sighed deeply, spreading out her hands to show they were empty.

"Marie, if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't do it in such a public place. There's an Auror on nearly every corner. Besides, I've done more than enough harm to you, and I'm trying to make up for it. I was stupid and immature, and foolish."

"I've suffered a lot because of you." Marie said, a cold edge to her voice. "I'm sure you can understand why I'm wary."

"Look, if it would make you feel any better, I can give you my wand. You can even cast body-bind on me, if you wish."

"I don't think that will be necessary." Marie replied. "Are you still with…William?"

Eugenia gave a quiet snort of disgust, glancing away for a moment.

"William." She spat softly, and then crossed her arms, hugging herself against the cold. "No, he strung me along until graduation, making all kinds of promises, and then dumped me as soon as he left for college in Italy. I was a fool. What I did to you was all for naught, which makes it even more shameful."

"I'm sorry." Marie said gently. "I…I didn't know."

"Don't be." Eugenia replied. "I'm over him. Shall we go sit down somewhere warmer? I have a lot to tell you."

Marie followed her into The Leaky Cauldron, where they hung up their winter cloaks and made their way to a table near the back. After ordering tea and some sandwiches, they settled in, with Marie quietly simmering with impatience to hear what the younger witch had to say.

Finally, after their tea had arrived, Eugenia cleared her throat softly and began to speak.

"It was during the Battle of Hogwarts." The younger witch said softly. "I was supposed to be watching the area near the lake for Death Eaters…well; I lost my nerve when the fighting started. I was so scared that I ran, blindly into the woods around the castle. I got lost, for a while, wandered for a long time before I got my bearings. When I came to a stop, I realized…I was out near the Whomping Willow. I…then I saw someone coming, so I cast _disillusion_ on myself and hid."

"Who was it?" Marie asked gently.

"It was…him. The Dark Lord."

"Voldemort."

"Yes." Eugenia shuddered slightly, at the sound of the name. "He had his creepy snake with him. He…he went right to the willow and shot it with a stunner, then went down a passage in its roots. I stayed in my hiding place, because I was afraid he'd catch me if I tried to flee. A good thing, because after a while, I heard several people coming. I recognized them."

"Who were they?"

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. They did the same thing. Well, Harry stunned the tree, and then they all went in."

"With Voldemort still inside?"

"Yes."

"What happened next?" Marie asked, taking a sip of tea.

Eugenia didn't answer right away, as the server had just brought their sandwiches. After the server left, Eugenia continued, leaning closer and lowering her voice.

"The Dark Lord came out, with his snake." She said, barely suppressing a shiver. "Harry and the other two hadn't come out yet. I was trying to get my courage up, to go see if they were alright, when they finally came out. Harry looked really upset, and his friends were trying to comfort him. His hands were all bloody. Anyway, after they left…I went down to the willow, stunned it, and went in to see what had happened. I got to a room and…well, there he was. Professor Snape, that is. He was all bloody, lying there on the floor. I thought he was dead, but he stirred and gurgled something at me. I searched his robe and found a bezoar and some potions and gave them to him."

"What then?" Marie asked, her sandwich forgotten.

"He wasn't very happy with me." Eugenia smiled slightly. "Said I should go away and leave him alone. At least, that's what it sounded like, what with him bleeding so much he was gurgling when he tried to talk."

"Sounds just like him." Marie nodded, suppressing a smirk. "Go on."

"Anyway, I cast _mobilcorpus_ and _disillusion_ on him, then floated him out. He lost consciousness before I got him very far from the Whomping Willow. I took him as far as the lake, but then I heard someone coming and hid in some brush."

"Who was it?"

"The Malfoys." Eugenia said, taking a bite of her sandwich. "They were in a hurry, leaving the school grounds in a big rush. You'd better eat; your food is getting cold."

"Oh…thank you." Marie said, picking up her sandwich.

They ate for a moment in silence, and then Eugenia went on with her tale.

"Anyway, Draco spotted me and cast _finite incantateum_, canceling out my _disillusion_ and _mobilcorpus _spells, which revealed us and dumped his godfather rather rudely on the ground." The younger witch said, patting at her mouth with her napkin. "I told him he was an inconsiderate arse and shot him with a stinger. When they saw who I was floating along, they offered to help. Draco and his father took Professor Snape away while Mrs. Malfoy and I created a…well, a diversion for the Aurors. Mrs. Malfoy disapparated and I allowed them to find me. It seemed like that was the easiest way for me to get to somewhere it was safe. There were still Death Eaters all over the place."

"And then what happened?" Marie asked.

"I…I honestly don't know." Eugenia said softly, blushing a bit. "After that, I never heard what happened to him. I've tried to contact the Malfoys, especially Draco, but with no success. They aren't returning any of my owls."

"I wonder where they might have taken him," Marie said, frowning. "They didn't take him to Poppy?"

"No, I don't think so. Of course, I wasn't injured, so I didn't go to the Hospital Wing for anything."

Marie sighed, producing a bit of cloth and wiping her quill, then setting it next to the parchment she was jotting notes on.

"I heard that you applied for a job at Hogwarts." Eugenia said, toying with her bottle of butterbeer. "Teaching Potions."

"Yes." Marie nodded. She didn't see any point in denying it now. "I like teaching at Salem Witches' Institute well enough, but I'm ready to move back here. I miss my family."

"So are you…still sick?" The other witch said, blushing deeply and looking down at the table.

"Not really. I rarely feel so bad that I need my potion. I've even been able to date, every now and then."

"You're kidding me." Eugenia said, looking up, her eyes wide with surprise. "You…I thought that…"

"…nobody could touch me but Severus?" Marie replied sharply. "Not so. I've enjoyed more than a few chaste goodnight kisses in the past couple of years. It seems that the effects of the potion wore off, after a while."

"Well, I'm happy that that has happened, at least."

Marie just looked over at her, saying nothing, her blue eyes frosty. After a few minutes, Eugenia began to squirm uneasily under her gaze, looking away, then back at her.

"I didn't mean to pry." Eugenia said defensively. "I really didn't. I'm sorry; it's really none of my business…"

"Don't worry about it." Marie said softly, her expression neutral. "I need to be going now, but you have my cell. If you think of anything else, please call or send me an owl."

"I will." Eugenia nodded. "As I said, I'd like to help you."

ooOoo

"So what happened?" Jenny said, as Marie hung up her cloak. She'd barely set foot in her parent's townhouse before her roommate had begun pestering her. Marie gave her an indulgent smile, and then made her way to the kitchen, her roommate trailing close behind.

"Where's Rachel?" She asked, setting the kettle on the burner after lighting it and blowing out the flame at the end of her wand. "Where are my mother and father?"

"She's taking a nap." Jenny said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Your mom and dad went out to meet some friends from the Ministry for dinner, so I've been watching Rachel. She finally ran out of steam about an hour ago. You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"He's alive." Marie said softly, turning around to face her and leaning against the counter as she waited for the kettle to come to a boil.

"Merlin." Jenny breathed, her eyes widening in shock. Feeling blindly behind her for a chair, she carefully sat down, taking a deep breath and blowing it out. "He's…I mean…you…what are you going to do? Where is he now?"

"I don't know. I know that the Aurors still have a watch out for him. All I know, really, is that he survived the attack by Nagini, according to Eugenia, but he still could have died afterwards. Harry told me about how he was when they found him in the Shrieking Shack, and Eugenia confirmed it. He was seriously injured. But I now know that he did receive first aid, of sorts, and that the Malfoys took him somewhere."

"The Malfoys?" Jenny said, making a face. "They have a blond son, don't they?"

"Yes, Draco."

"Ugh."

"Why?" Marie asked, smirking slightly as she took the whistling kettle off the burner and made tea. "Do you know him?"

"I had the misfortune to meet him in New York," Jenny shrugged, "at the New Year's Celebration in '99, just before the ball dropped. Had to hex him."

"He can be rather annoying." Marie smiled, pouring a cup for Jenny and handing it to her. "Did he try to ask you out?"

"I guess so." Jenny replied, dropping a few cubes of sugar in her tea and stirring it in. "He was drunk, groped me. He found out that in addition to being a witch, I knew jujutsu. I might have broken one of his fingers, the way he was fussing afterwards. Gave him a few stingers to speed him on his way. Such a wimp."

Marie shook her head and laughed softly, sitting down at the table.

"Marie."

"Hm?"

"Come on, what do you want to do now?" Jenny asked, leaning toward her. "Now that you know he might be alive, that is."

Her chin trembling a bit, Marie looked at the floor, then back at her friend.

"I honestly don't know, Jenny." She said, on the verge of tears. "It's been so long…and he might not be alive. His wounds were terrible. A bite like that to the neck, with that much damage…never mind the venom…"

"But remember, Harry saw it all covered with blood." Jenny said gently. "That usually makes everything look worse, until you clean it off. What did Eugenia do for him as first aid?"

"She…she gave him a bezoar for the poison, and some Blood-Replenishment potion, too."

"Well, that could have helped a lot, if it was given in time." Jenny reached over and took one of her hands in a warm clasp. "Merlin's sakes, you're chilled to the bone! Wait here; I'll go get your potion."

"Thank you." Marie said softly, watching Jenny as she went to retrieve one of the vials from Marie's bedroom.

_I'm not really cured_, she thought despondently, staring at the steaming tea in her teacup. _Perhaps it isn't life threatening, but always there. A dull, constant pain that always reminds me that I'm not quite over it yet._

_What would I do, if I found him today?_

_Rage at him for abandoning me to raise our daughter by myself?_

_It wasn't his fault_, she silently rebuked herself. _There's no way he could have known I was pregnant, and then, after the Battle of Hogwarts…I assumed he was…dead._

_All these years, I've grieved for him, longed for him…and now this is almost cruel, to think that he might still be alive._

_Is he alive? If he is, then where is he now?_

_If he's alive, why hasn't he contacted me?_

_The only thing that makes any sense is that he can't contact me. I know he would, if he were alive, if he were able. I just know it._

_What would I do if he walked in the door right now?_

_Weep with relief and welcome him back, hugging him tightly and covering his face with kisses?_

_Or hex him till he can't move?_

_What if he doesn't want me anymore?_

_Why should I want him so much?_

Her reverie was interrupted by Jenny carefully placing the vial of potion in front of her on the table.

"Marie." Jenny said gently, eyes full of concern. "You're zoning out and starting to shiver pretty badly, now. Go on, take it. Here you go."

Marie accepted the vial obediently, uncorked it, and drank the contents, shuddering at the taste of it.

"I suppose I should be used to the taste by now." She said, grimacing as she picked up her tea and took a sip.

Jenny sat down after _vanishing_ the vial, folding her arms, and looked at her friend.

"Look, whatever you need to do," she said, "no matter what, I'll take care of Rachel for you, I promise. I'll do whatever it takes to help you find him…that is, of course, assuming that's what you want to do."

"Thank you. I'm sure she'll really enjoy getting into more mischief with 'Aunt' Jenny."

"At the very least, he owes you some answers, if not some back child support. You deserve that much."

"No." Marie said, her cheeks turning pink. "I don't need that from him."

"What are you talking about? He abandoned you, Marie!"

"No, that's not so. He gave me the key to his vault," Marie said softly, "after the Battle of Hogwarts. I don't tell many people, only my parents know, and now, you…please don't say anything to anyone about it. There is plenty to take care of Rachel and me if I'm careful with it. A good bit of it is invested, and it's giving a pretty good return now that things have calmed down following the War. It's not like I don't need a job, though. I have to do something…just to keep myself occupied."

"I'm sorry. I…I didn't know that." Jenny said contritely. "So you're provided for."

"Well, yes…comfortable, verging on well off. But Jenny, I'd give it up in a heartbeat just to see him again."

ooOoo

December 10, 2004~

"I'm glad you were able to come on such short notice." Headmistress McGonagall said as they walked along the garden path between the administrative wing and the Great Hall. "I fear you may need to start as soon as you can, next week if possible. I'm sure that you can handle it; the principal at Salem Witches' Institute gave you a glowing recommendation as a Potions instructor. She was very sorry to see you leave."

"Madam Turner." Marie smiled fondly. "I'll miss her and the students, but it's wonderful to be back at Hogwarts. Salem is pleasant enough, but it's just not home. By the way, how is Professor Slughorn doing? I sent a get-well owl, but haven't heard anything back from him."

"Resting, as the stubborn old fool should be." Minerva chuckled. "The Healers are keeping a short leash on him. He doesn't seem to know his limits, and I think this heart attack may be just the thing to teach him a bit of humility."

"I'll have to visit him soon. He was always a favorite professor of mine whenever he came in to substitute for Severus."

The Headmistress stopped, turning to look at the younger witch, frowning.

"Yes…about that."

Marie bit her lip, eyeing McGonagall nervously.

"How is your…'affliction'?" The older witch asked, crossing her arms. "Do you still have to take your potion?"

"Yes." Marie nodded, frowning slightly. "But not all that often. I can go several days without it, four to five at the most, but I get chilled easily. As for pain, well…it's tolerable without the potion, no worse than a mild headache. Most days, I barely notice it."

"That's good." Minerva nodded. "Perhaps the effects of the potion have finally worn off."

"For the most part, yes."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, ending up near the lake, which was covered with ice. Marie drew in a lungful of air, watching it condense into steam as she exhaled. She was watching some sparrows flit around, pecking at seeds in the snow, when Minerva finally spoke again.

"I wanted some more privacy to talk to you." She said. "What about your daughter? We're not exactly set up with a nursery here."

"Not a problem. I have two house elves from my parents' house to help me take care of her. She's almost six years old, so they are tutoring her, too. Rachel won't be a problem, Headmistress, I promise you."

"She's his, isn't she?" Minerva asked quietly, turning to face her directly, her gaze sharply focused on the younger witch.

Marie stopped, looking away as she blushed, then at her feet, unable to meet the Headmistress' eyes. She was silent for a moment, chewing on the inside of her lip, and then finally nodded reluctantly.

"Yes. Is that a problem?" She asked hesitantly.

"Merlin's sakes, no." Minerva sighed, casting a warming charm on her shawl and Marie's cloak. "I suspected as much, with that wild head of black hair she has. You don't happen to know where he is, do you?"

"No." Marie said softly, deciding to only reveal what she knew for certain. "I don't even know if he survived, Headmistress. I haven't seen him…since just before the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Well, if you can start teaching on Monday, it would be a huge boon to me. I've been teaching all six sections, and doing that at my age, I need a time-turner to help. Potions never has been my best subject, I'm afraid. I moved the classes up to the ground floor so I could manage everything better, but you can use the old classroom, if you wish."

"Of course." Marie smiled, as they began to slowly walk back to the castle. "I'm looking forward to it, Headmistress."

"I'm looking forward to it as well." Minerva said. "Merlin knows, I've fallen behind in so much of my administrative duties, I should be sacked."

ooOoo

December 11, 2004~

Late in the evening, after Rachel had had her bath, a glass of milk, brushed her teeth (again), then had three story books read to her, she finally gave up the fight, falling asleep curled up close to her mother. Marie carefully tucked her in, placing her favorite teddy next to her, and cautiously got up from the bed. Rachel sighed in her sleep, mumbling incoherently as she slid her arm around her teddy and hugged it closer to herself. When she was satisfied that her daughter was truly asleep, Marie slipped out of the room, carefully pulling the door almost, but not quite shut.

"Ella." She said softly, quietly walking toward the kitchen.

The house elf appeared in the doorway, looking up at her expectantly.

"You don't need to unpack everything else, not until the rooms down in the dungeons are ready. There's no point in it. They're a bit dusty, I heard."

"Ella could clean them tonight, Miss Marie." The house elf said. "Have them ready by morning. Could even move most of your things there tonight."

"No, not just yet." Marie said, shaking her head. "I…I need to go see them, and I'd prefer to do it alone, if you don't mind. Would you please listen out for Rachel for me while I'm gone?"

"Of course." Nodded the house elf. "Ella will take good care of the young miss, like always."

"Thank you, Ella. I'll be back after a little while."

ooOoo

She hesitated for a long moment before the old oaken door of the Potions classroom, trying to calm herself down, one hand on the worn brass handle. So many memories, both good and bad, lay just beyond this door.

"You can do this, Marie." She murmured to herself, not feeling confident in the least. "It's just another classroom, isn't it?"

_But you know it isn't_, she silently rebuked herself, gathering her nerve. _It never was._

Cautiously, she turned the latch and opened the door, half expecting it to creak like something from an old Muggle horror movie. Instead, it opened silently on well-worn and oiled hinges, revealing the empty Potions classroom, dimly lit by the moonlight from the three windows in the outside wall of the castle.

"Lumos" She said softly, lighting the lamps in the room.

Neat rows of benches and stools, beakers, burners, and one carelessly left potions textbook on the nearest bench to her. The room was clean, though, with not a speck of dust on anything. She felt as if she would cry as she gazed at the heavy desk at the front of the classroom, the empty podium.

_I remember him, how he would lean on it as he lectured._

_Turning in assignments, holding out the rolled up parchment in a trembling hand as I waited for him to take it from me._

_That's my usual seat there at the front, on the left side of the classroom, where I sat next to Luna._

_Carefully preparing ingredients under his watchful eye._

_Flinching at his barbs as he scolded me over some mistake, like the time I blew up my cauldron making sunburn ointment. Shivering in fear as he cleaned my robes and work area with scorgify, until I realized that he was truly just concerned for my welfare, not angry._

_I spent a lot of time secretly watching him._

_Watching him grade essays while we worked on our potions, the constant scratching of his quill, scrawling acerbic remarks in red ink._

_Listening to him lecture at length on the properties of this mushroom, or of this leaf picked at the full moon in March, or any of a dozen things that soon had little interest to me as I sat there, lulled into a warm sense of security by that dark, brooding drawl and precise enunciation._

_It was so much worse after the botched potion Eugenia gave me._

_So difficult to concentrate._

_Constantly aware of his eyes, how they lingered on me, but not too long._

_When he didn't look at me, the yearning for his attention._

_Always, the memory of his hands on my body, the burning warmth spreading through my lower abdomen._

_The feel of our connection, the pull toward him, as if I were merely a planet orbiting a sun, gradually being pulled closer to his warmth._

_He was so many things to me._

_Bitter, angry, sarcastic, petty, aloof…then everything changed, and I saw another side to him._

_Brooding, sarcastic, guarded, wary…and loving, intelligent, sensitive, brave…_

A footstep behind her alerted her that she was not alone. Turning around, she saw Filch appear in the doorway, cradling his cat.

"Alright, the game is up, you scamps—I…I, um, uh, beggin' your pardon…Professor." He said awkwardly, obviously uncomfortable once he realized who she was. "I…uh, well, I saw the light down here, and the door wide open. Thought it might be a student out of bed, I did."

"It's alright, Mr. Filch." Marie said, having to swallow to get her voice working so she could speak. "I'm actually glad to see you. Good that you're doing such a fine job."

"I…err, thank you, Professor." He said, actually blushing a bit. "I…um, you're the Delacour girl what used to be a student here, aren't you? You went off…I mean, you graduated and now…ye've came back to…teach Potions."

"Yes, Sir." Marie nodded. "You are correct. I received my advanced degrees and my P.M from Lores, and then taught Potions at Salem Witches' Institute as an assistant professor. The Headmistress has hired me to teach Potions here now."

"Sir." Filch said, glancing away from her. "You don't have to call me Sir…Professor. Me, I'm just Filch."

"But I will call you Sir, Mr. Filch, because I respect you. I've always felt you did a fine job around here, even when I was still a student."

"Well…thank ye kindly, Professor." He said, bashfully looking at the floor. "I, uh…I kept the classroom cleaned up…well, because it needed doin' and all…."

"Of course, Mr. Filch." She smiled. "I appreciate it."

"Well, I'd best be going, then…Professor." The old squib said, looking away from her. "I…well, if you need anything, Professor, anything at all…just…well, just let me know."

"Thank you, Mr. Filch." She nodded. He turned and walked out of the room.

The old squib's footsteps slowly faded down the hallway. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Marie knew she should be getting back soon, but she needed to see for herself. Walking over to the door at the front right of the classroom, she turned the knob and opened it. This door was more resistant, the hinges yielding to her pull on the knob with an eerie creak, years of dust sifting down as she pulled it free of the jamb. Picking up her lantern, she held it before her as she entered, then lit the lams in the room with another softly uttered 'lumos'.

Everything was just as she remembered it, for the most part. His old worn leather armchair, the couch in front of the fireplace. Books lined the bookshelves that covered most of the free space on the walls. Spider webs and dust were everywhere, reinforcing the horror movie look. One of his books lay open on the seat of his chair, as if awaiting his return. Glancing at the pages, she recognized it easily as one that she had in her own library.

_Fungi of South America, 53__rd__ edition, by Theodore Ludminn and Eric Frohrich_, she mused, running her finger gently across the dusty page. _Armillaria montagnei__, used in making Stoneskin solution, as well as Niffler repellent. Deadly toxic if gillyweed is added to it in any potion, can speed up healing if added to sunburn ointment in small amounts, not exceeding 10 grains._

Wiping the dust off her finger, she slowly walked through his living quarters, looking over his private study and potions lab, then the small kitchen, the bathroom, and finally his bedroom. She'd deliberately put it off till last, unsure of how she might handle it. Biting her lip, she opened the door.

As she crossed the threshold, she felt the slight tingle of magic on her skin, and instinctively jumped back, drawing her wand.

_A trap?_ She thought, alarmed. _But who might set a trap on his bedroom? Did Severus set this?_

"_Revelio magica_." She said, precisely making the proper wand motion.

Instantly lines of magic appeared, tracing a fine spider web of energy around the dark room. Cautiously, she examined them, warily entering the room after deciding that there was nothing dangerous about them. But the magical signature was indeed that of Severus, as familiar to her now as her own.

_Some kind of ward_, she mused, examining them further. _A ward, modified somewhat, and a…stasis charm?_

"_Lumos_." Candles around the room sprang to life, lighting up the room to reveal a sight that astonished her. With a gasp, she nearly dropped her wand, falling to her knees as her legs seemed unable to support her.

The room was spotlessly clean, the bed made up neatly…and scattered across the stone floor, with a stasis charm to keep them alive, were hundreds of red roses.

_A last gesture on his part_, she thought, as tears welled up in her eyes and she wept, allowing the years of accumulated grief to flow freely.

ooOoo

December 14, 2004~

The Potions classroom was filled with the buzz of third-year students talking amongst themselves.

The door flew open, and in walked Marie Delacour, black robes fluttering behind her as she walked to the podium at the front of the classroom. Turning to face the students, she gave them a cheerful smile.

"Good morning, class." She said, looking them over. "I am Professor Delacour, and I will be replacing Professor Slughorn as your potions instructor."

"Today we will be making something a bit more challenging, Star Grass Salve. Can anyone tell me what the effects of this potion are intended to be?"

Hesitantly, a rather small boy in the back row raised his hand. Marie glanced down at the seating chart she had on the podium.

"Yes, Mr. Simmons?"

"Um…it's for soothing injuries, Professor." He said, blushing. "I fell on some rocks when we were camping when I was 10 and scraped my knees bloody. My Mum put some on 'em."

Another boy, with dark hair, sneered and made a rather rude comment under his breath, nudging his friend next to him.

"Correct, Mr. Simmons." She smiled, checking the sheet again for his house. "Five points to…Hufflepuff. Mr. Jenkins, I have excellent hearing, and that comment has been noted. The next time I hear you use that rude word to refer to a classmate; it will be both points and detention. You have been warned, young man."

Jenkins turned quite pale, swallowing nervously.

Turning from the students, with a flick of her fingers she sent a piece of chalk whizzing to the board, where it began to rapidly write out the list of ingredients.

_So much easier than writing by hand_, Marie thought with a wistful smile as she watched the students scramble to get their ingredients and start on their assignment.

_It feels like I'm finally home…and I miss him even more now._

ooOoo

January 4, 2005~

"You wanted to see me, Poppy?" Marie smiled, closing the door behind her and sitting down facing the Medi-witch across her desk. "I trust there are enough Pepper-up potions now, at least, so we should be alright for a while. Was there something else you needed?"

"I…um, no, Marie." Poppy said nervously, unwilling to meet the younger witch's eyes. "Marie… I…I've done a terrible wrong to you."

"What do you mean, Poppy?" Marie asked, frowning. "Don't be silly, you've never done me wrong in my life! You've always been good to me."

"Yes, I have." The Medi-witch said, swallowing nervously. "I don't know how to break this to you…but…Severus is…alive."

"Yes, I know. Eugenia…" Marie's eyes widened a bit. "Wait. How do you know that he's alive?"

"I helped the Malfoys with him." Poppy said softly. "I helped stabilize him before they took him off."

"But that was years ago, Poppy. His wounds were terrible. He…"

"Marie, I have to have fresh hair for your potion. I receive fresh hair every few months by owl from Lucius Malfoy."

Marie's heart seemed to leap in her chest, her eyes widening.

_Surely she can't be serious_, she thought, struggling to control herself. _He would have contacted me; I would have felt his presence…_

"But it's preserved with a stasis charm, right?" Marie said, a note of unease creeping into her voice. "It could have been stored that way for years…"

"You know as well as I do, you can't do that." Poppy said, shaking her head. "Not when it has to be freshly plucked from the head of the donor, as this potion calls for."

Marie's hands were gripping the arms of her chair so tightly that her knuckles were white. It seemed like the room was spinning around her, and she felt as if she could not breathe.

"So what are you trying to say here, Poppy?" She finally managed to say, her voice unsteady.

"Severus is alive, and the Malfoys have hidden him somewhere. But that's all I know, I fear."

ooOoo

It was well past midnight, yet she was wide awake, staring up at the dark green and gold embroidered canopy that stretched over her bed—their bed, once. Marie sighed, rubbing her eyes wearily.

_This is madness_, she chided herself. _I have to teach in the morning, and I really need to get to sleep._

Rolling over onto her side, she plumped up her pillow and lay back down, taking another pillow and curling her arm around it. Closing her eyes, she resolved to go to sleep, as if she could will it to be so.

Not twenty minutes later, she sat up with a sigh of frustration, running her hands through her hair.

_Eugenia sent the cloak to me, I'm sure of that. _Marie thought, considering what she did know.

_Even though she's never admitted to it, I'm sure it was her. Then the note, and our meeting earlier this year, when she told me that he was alive, but badly injured, and she and the Malfoys helped him. That is supported by what Harry told me._

_She doesn't know what happened after Lucius and Draco Malfoy took him away, though. _

_Where could they have taken him?_

_Now, Poppy has admitted that she helped Lucius stabilize him, so he could be moved._

_Did they take him to hospital?_

_Not likely_, she thought, smiling slightly to herself. _Not with every hospital, both magical and Muggle, crawling with Aurors looking for Death Eaters._

_No, Lucius would have hidden him somewhere right away, until he was well enough to move somewhere more secure._

She got up, donning her bathrobe and slippers, and silently made her way to the kitchen, pausing to look in on Rachel. Her daughter was fast asleep, sprawled across her bed on her tummy with one foot uncovered and sticking out from under the covers. Marie smiled, then quietly walked over and picked her daughter's teddy up from the floor, placing it near her, and then gently pulled on the duvet, covering the exposed foot.

_Could it be that Rachel kept me alive?_ She frowned, silently slipping out of the room and pulling the door to. _Constant contact from her, during the short time that I couldn't get any of my potion, that's got to be it. _

_Then once my monthly supply of the potion began to arrive again by owl, the combination of the potion and my daughter's love…that cured me._

She smiled ruefully, pulling her bathrobe a bit tighter around herself as she shivered slightly.

_Cured? _She chided herself. _No, not cured. Not by a long shot._

_More like the pain is bearable, manageable with the combination of Rachel's sweet hugs and my potion. Some days I only need a few drops, others a half dose…but never a full vial._

"Is Mistress unable to sleep?" Ella said, looking out of the kitchen at her.

"No, Ella." Marie smiled, walking into the kitchen to sit at the table. The house elf followed her, looking up at her with a concerned expression as she twisted her apron in her tiny hands.

"Would Mistress like some warm milk? Some cookies?"

"No, Ella. I don't need anything." She answered, rubbing her eyes wearily. "I took some of my potion earlier, so I don't hurt that badly. I just can't sleep."

ooOoo

January 13, 2005~

"Come in, come in!" Marie said, smiling as she opened the door wide.

Eugenia stood nervously in the hallway outside the Potions classroom, her eyes flicking around the room before they settled on Marie.

"I…I'm sorry." The younger witch stammered, blushing deeply as she fidgeted with her robes. "It's just…it's just that this place always makes me nervous."

"I understand." Marie smiled warmly, gently taking her by the arm and leading her into the room. They walked arm in arm over to the door at the front of the classroom, which Marie had left open, and entered the Potions Mistress' quarters.

Rachel was lying on the floor on the rug in front of the fireplace, busily coloring a page in a coloring book. She glanced up and smiled.

"Hi!" She said, grinning up at Eugenia.

"Um…hello."

"Have a seat, Eugenia." Marie said, waving her toward the couch. As she sat down in the worn leather armchair across from the couch, Ella appeared with a tray of sandwiches and the tea service. The house elf carefully set it on the coffee table, and then poured two cups of tea.

"I have some new information." Eugenia said nervously, watching Marie spoon a lump of sugar into her cup and stir it in. "We could have met this weekend, you know. No need for me to interrupt…your family time."

Marie smiled at her warmly, picking up an egg salad sandwich and putting it on her plate.

"I know." She said reassuringly. "I just wanted to have you over, just talk, be social."

Eugenia glanced at Rachel as she lay on the rug, busy coloring a picture of a griffon.

"She…she's his?" She asked, her voice barely loud enough to be heard.

"Yes." Marie nodded. "We…we got to see each other one last time about a week before the final battle. That was…when she was conceived."

"I'm sorry, Marie."

Marie glanced over at her daughter, took out her wand, and cast _muffiliato_ just in case Rachel might understand more than she let on. Tucking her wand behind her ear, she turned back to Eugenia.

"It's alright, Eugenia." She sighed. "It's not much of a secret here at Hogwarts. It's not like I can hide it, anyway. I just ask that you keep quiet about it; I don't want her to suffer…because of who her father was. Not until I clear his name."

"Never." Eugenia said, shaking her head vigorously. "I'd never say a word to anyone about anything we talk about, and I certainly wouldn't say anything that might harm her."

They sipped their tea in silence, and then Eugenia spoke again.

"How…how do you plan to clear his name?"

"I'm not sure yet." Marie shrugged. "I'm still interviewing people, collecting statements that prove that he was acting under Dumbledore's orders, in the best interests of the wizarding world. People do love to hold a grudge."

"Be careful. I had a run-in with an Auror with a real grudge against him. I think his name was McCall."

Marie stiffened slightly at the name, but managed to keep calm.

"So what happened?" She asked, carefully taking a sip of her tea.

"He came by where I work. He was polite, but got a bit surly after I told him I didn't know anything."

"Does he know you talk to me?"

"No, I don't think so." Eugenia replied, shaking her head. "I was careful to make sure I wasn't followed. There's no way he could know what we talk about, anyway."

"So what do you have for me?"

"I finally found out where Draco was hiding."

Marie nearly choked on a bite of sandwich, but somehow managed to compose herself. Dabbing at her mouth with a napkin, she carefully swallowed, then picked up her teacup with an unsteady hand to take a sip.

"How did you manage that?" She finally asked, when she trusted herself to be able to speak again.

"I just followed him." Eugenia smirked. "It was easy. He had a girl with him, so he wasn't paying much attention. Some Aurors followed him for a while, too, but they didn't see me."

"Merlin, Eugenia, be careful." Marie said. "The Aurors aren't anything to fool with. You could have been arrested."

"For what? Taking a walk?"

Marie sighed, shaking her head in dismay.

ooOoo

The key rattled in the lock, there was a faint click, and then the door opened.

Draco Malfoy shut the door, and then locked the dead bolt. Setting the bag containing his Chinese takeout on a small table, he tucked his keys in his robe pocket, then slipped his traveling cloak off and hung it up on the hall tree.

Whistling a cheerful tune, he picked up his dinner and walked down the hallway to his study, opening the door and stepping inside. Crossing the floor to set the bag on his desk, he set the bag down. He frowned when he felt the slightest tingle of magic.

"What the hell?" He gasped, patting the sleeve of his robe for his wand. Draco turned around, glancing around the room, a bit of fear in his eyes.

"Lumos" Marie Delacour smirked, holding his wand up. "Hello, Draco, looking for something?"

By now, he was rather pale, but he put up a good front, setting his takeout bag on his desk and sitting down.

"Marie Delacour." He smiled nervously. "Haven't seen you in ages. How have you been?"

"Drop the hail, well met crap, Draco." Marie said, her eyes turning cold and hard. "You know why I'm here. Where is your Godfather?"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about." Draco stammered, his eyes widening.

"Severus Snape. Where is he?" Marie snapped, leaping to her feet and slamming her hand down on the desk, making Draco flinch. "You and your father, after you disillusioned him, took him to the Hospital wing so Poppy could stabilize him, then you took him away. Where did you take him?"

"T-to the manor! Our home!" Draco yelped, holding up both hands, terrified.

Glancing at her wand hand, she realized she'd inadvertently readied a spell, gleaming bluish white around the tip of her wand like a serpent ready to strike. Marie blinked, shaking her head slightly, and then let the magic dissipate.

"You took him to Malfoy manor." She said in a flat, cold voice, tucking away her wand. "What happened then?"

"He was there for a few days, and then Mum and Dad took him somewhere else. I don't know where."

"Think hard, Draco." Marie said in a low, dangerous voice as she struggled to keep her temper in check. "Where might they have taken him?"

"The Aurors were watching the Manor." Draco said, swallowing nervously. "I think they took him to our summer house. It's unplottable and concealed with multiple charms. That's the only place I can think of."

"Where is it?"

"Up near Coldingham, on the east coast." He said, and then shook his head. "But I don't think he's there. I talked to Dad just last week and asked about him. He acted like he didn't know anything."

"What do you mean, he doesn't know anything?" Marie asked skeptically. "He has to, he was one of Severus' closest friends!"

Draco shook his head again, and leaned forward in his chair.

"I think someone's used a memory charm on him." He said softly. "Dad…he doesn't remember things he should about it. The Aurors, they pester him constantly, always following him, watching him."

He frowned, looking hard at her.

"You…you're not working with them, are you?" He asked, glancing nervously at the door, as if he expected it to be broken down at any moment by Aurors.

"Merlin's sakes, no, Draco." Marie sighed. "I just…I need to find Severus."

"That's twice you've called him by his given name."

"What of it?"

Draco shifted in his seat, frowning slightly.

"So the rumors…what Rita Skeeter said about you in the paper…"

"Lies."

"For a lie to be believable, it helps to have some truth to it."

She regarded him for a long moment, her eyes frosty, and then sighed heavily.

"Alright." Marie said grudgingly, her voice soft. "So maybe there was a bit of truth to it."

Draco glanced away, then back at her.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"You helped him." Draco said, leaning forward and folding his hands in front of him on the desk.

"I don't understand."

"You…gave him hope. I knew something was going on between you two, but I wasn't sure until…after it was too late."

Marie shook her head sadly.

"It doesn't really matter now, does it?" She said, blinking back tears. "He's gone. Or is he, Draco?"

Draco pursed his lips, frowning.

"As far as I know, he's still alive." He said, holding up one hand when Marie gasped audibly in surprise. "Don't get your hopes up yet. I haven't seen him for several years, not since he was at the Manor. Mum and Dad are pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing; they don't talk about it with me at all. But Mum is gone, sometimes for months at a time."

"Where does she go?"

"I don't know." Draco shrugged. "Since I live here in London, and the Aurors keep close watch on me still, I guess they figure it's best that I don't know anything."

Marie sighed, and then slid his wand across the desk to him.

"Thank you." Draco said, putting his wand away. "I appreciate that."

"It doesn't mean I trust you." Marie said, giving him a cool look.

"Can't say that I blame you." He replied. "After all, I am a former Death Eater. But I'm just as curious as you as to where my Godfather might be, and I'd like to help you, if I can."

ooOoo

Author's note: This is a short update, but I'll be adding more as I write. Very busy with school, work, and life right now. If you like this story, check my author page, as I always post when a chapter is updated with added material. Enjoy!

Also, dear readers, you are the best. This is all for you.


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